RMT's Mick Lynch insists he doesn't 'relish' in being portrayed as 'the Grinch'
16 December 2022, 11:44
RMT's Mick Lynch says he doesn't 'relish' being the 'Grinch that stole Christmas'.
Head of the RMT Mick Lynch says he doesn't like the character newspapers have given him amid rail workers' strikes.
Rail workers, represented by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), have begun the third day of strike action this week in a dispute over pay.
The Secretary-General of RMT, Mick Lynch, appeared on LBC this morning to speak on behalf of his union.
When Nick Ferrari asked how he reacted to newspapers accusing him of enjoying being cast as the Grinch, the RMT General Secretary replied: "The media is nearly completely hostile to the movement, and I have to bear that."
Mick Lynch also said that he didn’t "like being put as a caricature," but the media "concocted" roles for union leaders, including his predecessor Bob Crow.
But Lynch assured he won’t let this distract him from the rail workers’ fight: "They can do that if they want. I’ve got a job to do on behalf of my people.
"I try to go about that in a professional and courteous way. I don’t seek hostility or even a profile."
READ MORE: Union boss Mick Lynch warns of 'five more months' of strike misery next year
He rejected claims that the ongoing rail strikes are losing public support: "I get a lot of support from the general public…all over Britain people come and shake my hand and ask me to carry on."
Rail workers are holding their second 48-hour strike this week in an ongoing dispute about pay and working conditions.
Train services around Britain will be disrupted as a result, with no trains at all on certain routes. Lynch recognises that the public is angry but has insisted there will be minimal disruption to travellers over the Christmas period.
Mick Lynch recognises that the general public is 'suffering' because of RMT's strikes.@NickFerrariLBC pic.twitter.com/jQ5lNTf28V
— LBC (@LBC) December 16, 2022
