The government on Wednesday night called the railway unions “as cynical as they come” to call a strike on the eve of the Commonwealth Games and the day of a semi-final of the European Women’s Championship.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the July 27 outing “would bring misery to ordinary families” with tickets for two of the most important sporting events of the summer.
It is feared that that day of industrial action, which also coincides with the one-day international of England’s men’s cricket team against South Africa in Bristol, could be the first of a few to affect the attendance at these events and other matches.
In addition to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the climax of Euro 2022 and the summer of international cricket, these could include the start of the Premier League and English Football League season.
Dorries said: “The decision by the railway unions to direct their strike to a fantastic sporting summer is as cynical as it gets.
“The actions of the unions will seriously affect the viewer’s experience of both the Women’s European Championship and the start of the Commonwealth Games. This will bring misery to ordinary families who just want to seize this opportunity.
“We are working 24 hours a day with the Football Association, Birmingham 2022 organizers, town halls and transport providers to make sure spectators can come and go from the venues safely and efficiently.”
A wave of strikes during Birmingham 2022 could ruin plans to make the Commonwealth Games more sustainable than ever.
Organizers had planned that about 40% of the planned million attendees would travel to and from the train events.
But the threat of strikes forced the West Midlands Combined Authority to draw up a contingency plan involving the government spending £ 4 million on replacement rail buses.
Wednesday night it was unclear whether Birmingham 2022 would allow ticket holders who are unable or unwilling to travel due to strikes to demand a refund.
The members of the Union of Railway, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) will leave for 24 hours from midnight to midnight on July 27 in an action that also runs the risk of leaving the services in disarray the next morning .
Separately, the Aslef drivers ’union was about to launch its own strikes, which could be scheduled between 2am on July 27 and 2am the next day.
The strikes follow a “final offer” from Network Rail, owner of tracks, stations and signals, at the RMT on Tuesday that overshadowed the pay raises offered to nurses, teachers and doctors.