The Conversation (0)
Kate Plummer
Jul 22, 2022
Question Time audience groans as Mick Lynch defends maintenance practice
Indy
The RMT's Mick Lynch has responded to the media attention he has received since being interviewed about rail strikes.
The union leader went viral in June because of his straight talking and yesterday he returned to the airwaves ahead of upcoming strikes.
But speaking to the BBC's Newscast, the union leader said he was "too old" to bother with social media. "My job is to get the job done for my people," he said. "My stock is apparently up there on social media, I don't know what half of it is - I'm too old. I never knew what trending was two weeks ago."
"My attitude to all of this is to answer the questions as straight as I can," he continued. "If they ask dopey questions, I'll tell them it's a dopey question."
Lynch also blamed the government for the strikes and defended upcoming action which takes place on Wednesday 27 July, Thursday 18 August and Saturday 20 August.
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And he even found time to comment on the Tory leadership contest, and surprise surprise, he isn't a fan of either candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, labelling them "hard right".
Here's what people made of his latest interview:
\u201cRegardless of your opinion of the BBC I would recommend watching (or listening) to the latest Newscast.\n\nMick Lynch is the most sensible Union representative I have ever heard speak. I expect RMT members are delighted to have him acting on their behalf.\u201d— Nintendad (PSN) \ud83c\udfae \ud83d\udd79\ufe0f \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@Nintendad (PSN) \ud83c\udfae \ud83d\udd79\ufe0f \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7) 1658445495
\u201cTo my eyes and ears,Mick Lynch is one of the best Union leaders of our time.That is predominantly because he comes across as a really decent human being. He's virtually unflappable,and that's because his knowledge is vast and also because he is on the side of right. Top bloke!\u201d— Matthew Payne (@Matthew Payne) 1658472318
\u201cHere\u2019s Mick Lynch @RMTunion general secretary talking about the myth that workers wages are causing the inflation spike\n#SupportRailWorkers\u201d— RMT (@RMT) 1658473555
\u201cCan't we just make Mick Lynch PM so we can sort out this fucking mess? \n#micklynch4PM\u201d— Socialist Dad \u270a (@Socialist Dad \u270a) 1658436383
\u201cExcessive profits are causing inflation not wage rises (or wage rise demands). Look at the price of a tank of fuel for your car or the price of an average 3 bed semi in a middling area. Mick Lynch gets it.\u201d— Steve (@Steve) 1658472406
\u201cJesus Christ this #bbcnewscast show is literally just 3 right wing grifters trying to interrogate Mick Lynch and failing miserable.\u201d— Todd Bartley (@Todd Bartley) 1658445069
\u201cMick Lynch on #Newscast nails it. The UK does not need a Summer of Discontent.\nIt needs a Summer of Solidarity- where working people support each other to ensure all are treated with respect and paid a wage that covers the cost of living.\u201d— Ryan Hobbs (@Ryan Hobbs) 1658445817
The upcoming strike is expected to include 40,000 workers and comes after June's walkout. Those striking are doing so over pay and conditions. They have been offered a four per cent pay rise but they demand an increase in line with inflation which is almost 10 per cent.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said the RMT was “hellbent on causing further misery for people across the country”.
He accused the union of planning “how best to cause further chaos” saying the strike was “cynically timed” to disrupt the opening of the Commonwealth Games.
“The industry is already on life support and by insisting on working against its employers, instead of with them, the RMT risks pulling the plug for good,” Shapps said.
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