Trains paralyzed again in UK as unions stage more strikes

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of train workers in Britain have staged a fresh round of strikes that is paralyzing rail services across the country. Only around one in five trains was running across the U.K. as a result of Thursday’s walkout by union members in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions exacerbated by a deepening cost-of-living crisis. A strike on Friday is expected to affect most of the London Underground subway network and bus services in the city. A walkout on Saturday will disrupt national train services. Union leader Mick Lynch says rail workers and other public employees are struggling to cope with soaring food and fuel prices. The country’s inflation rate jumped to a 40-year high of 10.1% in July.