New York Times hails RMT’s strike-happy leader Mick Lynch as ‘an unlikely national hero’

The New York Times has hailed the RMT‘s strike-mad Mick Lynch as ‘an unlikely national hero’ in Britain.

In an opinion piece published by the US newspaper, journalist Rachel Shabi praised the 1970s-style firebrand, who has spent months trying to bring the country to a grinding halt and is now determined to wreck the Christmas holidays for millions of people with fresh walkouts.

Painting a bleak picture of the UK, with the NHS on ‘life support’, public transport ‘spluttering’ and food banks ‘at breaking point’, the article – titled ‘Britain Is Miserable, but Britons Are Fighting Back‘ – said: ‘Britons are fighting back. Months after what was called a hot strike summer, in which almost 200,000 workers staged walkouts, Britain is witnessing industrial action on a scale not seen in decades — and in all sorts of unlikely places.’

It went on: ‘The strikes, usually contentious, have unexpectedly captured the public mood. People go to picket lines and speak up for workers on television and radio phone-ins. 

‘Mick Lynch, the leader of the transport union that has been at the forefront of strikes, has become an unlikely national hero. His refusal to accept things as they are, as well as his evisceration of hostile interviewers, has struck a chord.’

New York Times journalist Rachel Shabi (right) has hailed the RMT ‘s strike-mad Mick Lynch (left) as ‘an unlikely national hero’ in Britain 

In an opinion piece published by the US newspaper, Ms Shabi praised the 1970s-style firebrand, who has spent months trying to bring the country to a grinding halt and is now determined to wreck the Christmas holidays for millions of people with fresh walkouts 

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The article headline read: Britain is miserable, but Britons are fighting back

Mr Lynch and other rail union barons have been accused of ‘holding the country to ransom’ by targeting passengers trying to travel home for Christmas.

In announcing the strikes would go ahead earlier this week, Mr Lync acknowledged ‘the travelling public will be really disappointed, irritated and angry’ but claimed the union had ‘no choice’. 

More than 40,000 rail workers will walk out from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27. It means those travelling to be with friends or loved ones on Christmas Day should make their journey before midday the day before if heading across the country or risk not getting there. Normally trains would run until about 10pm.

He said: ‘My members are living on extremely low wages. Not everyone’s earning the same money, but what everyone’s experiencing is a lowering of their conditions.

‘Now we regret the inconvenience that we are are causing, but this inconveniencing is being caused by the Government… they’ve held back even these paltry offers till the last minute.

Government minister Nick Gibb argued the RMT’s ‘very disappointing decision’ came after they were offered a ‘very good pay deal’ of 8 per cent over two years.

He said: ‘We would urge the unions to talk to employers, to keep negotiating and not to hold the country to ransom, particularly in December as we get nearer to Christmas.’

The article was written by British guest contributor Rachel Shabi, who shared it to Twitter before noting journalists at the publication had urged readers not to engage with NYTimes platforms that day as they went on strike for better pay and conditions

Mick Lynch announced the new action for the Christmas period this week after pay talks broke down with rail bosses 

More than 1,000 unionized journalists and other employees at The New York Times began a 24-hour walkout on Thursday, the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years

The New York Times has published yet another anti-Britain story, this time stating the nation is ‘languishing’ and hailing strike-happy RMT leader Mick Lynch as a ‘national hero’

Meanwhile at the New York Times this week, more than 1,000 unionized journalists and other employees began a 24-hour walkout on Thursday, the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years.

The union, part of the NewsGuild of New York, had set a deadline for a new contract for midnight December 8, and accused management of ‘failure to bargain in good faith’.

As union members picketed in front of the newspaper’s Manhattan headquarters, union organizers urged readers to join in a one-day boycott of all Times products, including its website and the popular game Wordle.

The New York Times issued a statement accusing the union of abandoning the negotiations, saying: ‘While we were still in negotiations and ready to continue, we received notification from more than 100 NewsGuild members in the newsroom confirming that the strike would proceed. 

Reporters and editors at The New York Times held a one-day strike outside the New York Times Building on Thursday

‘It is disappointing that they are taking such an extreme action when we are not at an impasse,’ the company said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

Times management had offered an immediate raise of 5.5 percent upon ratification of the contract, plus 3 percent raises in 2023 and 2024, along with a minimum salary floor of $60,000.

Stacy Cowley, a finance reporter and union representative, said the union is seeking 10 percent pay raises at ratification, which she said would make up for raises not received over the past two years during a period of soaring inflation.