Mick Lynch – the face of the rail strikes presently crippling the nation – is a Nineteen Seventies-style union firebrand who as soon as sighed ‘All I would like from life is a little bit of socialism’ – however now collects a wage of greater than £84,000 a 12 months.
The RMT boss has earned the moniker ‘Mick Grinch’, and was at the moment {accused} by Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley of serving to to drive Excessive Avenue corporations out of enterprise by forcing their prospects to remain at residence over an important buying and selling interval.
Fortuitously, issues are wanting extra rosy for Mr Lynch himself, with the union chief boasting a £84,174 wage – and his complete remuneration reportedly rising over £120,000 as soon as different advantages, together with pension contributions, are taken into consideration.
He presently lives in a four-bedroom terraced home in Ealing which is price almost £1million – a formidable enhance on the £394,000 he’s stated to have paid for the property in 2008.
Mick Lynch, normal secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), on the picket line at Euston Station in London at the moment
The RMT boss has earned the moniker ‘Mick Grinch’, earns a £84,174 wage – whereas his complete remuneration package deal reportedly exceeds £120,000
Mr Lynch, who has three youngsters along with his with NHS nurse spouse Mary, initially hails from Paddington in central London, the place he grew up on a council property as considered one of 5 siblings.
His Irish Catholic dad and mom got here to London as youngsters throughout the Blitz, and Mr Lynch has described a conventional Irish upbringing.
‘We did all the standard Irish stuff: Catholic major faculty, Catholic secondary faculty,’ he instructed the Sunday Unbiased.
‘There was a variety of Irish individuals in our group, however it was very numerous as effectively. We had been all the time well-fed and decently turned out, as you’ll anticipate from an Irish mom, however we did not have any ”spare” cash.
‘We by no means had a household vacation collectively, for instance. Typically a few us would return to Eire from time to time, however we by no means all went again collectively on the similar time. It was troublesome to handle with 5 children.’
Mr Lynch left faculty at 16 and educated as an electrician however was blacklisted as a result of union exercise, so joined the railways.
Unable to seek out work, in 1993 he started working for Eurostar, and have become energetic within the RMT.
He earlier served two phrases as assistant normal secretary of the union earlier than being appointed appearing normal secretary in 2020 as a result of Mick Money experiencing in poor health well being.
He presently lives in a four-bedroom terraced home in Ealing which is price almost £1million – a formidable enhance on the £394,000 he’s stated to have paid for the property in 2008
Regardless of stepping down from the position after accusing members of the RMT’s govt committee of bullying, Mr Lynch received an election and took the position on completely in 2021.
He was thought of a centrist in contrast with former normal secretary Bob Crow — however, after taking cost, he stated: ‘The unions have gotten to make a militant stand – and use the strike weapon wherever it is applicable’.
A strident Republican, he attracted criticism after threatening at one level to stage industrial motion over the Platinum Jubilee weekend at Inexperienced Park Tube station, the closest to Buckingham Palace, and Euston railway station, one of many busiest within the nation.
However whereas he could also be hated by many commuters, his combative media appearances have received him the assist of legions of on-line followers.
Right this moment, he {accused} the BBC of ‘parroting’ right-wing propaganda in its protection of the rail strikes throughout a heated morning media spherical.
In the meantime, he slammed GMB’s Richard Madeley for ‘ranting’ as he was interviewed about widespread industrial motion.
On his Fb web page, Mr Lynch’s profile image is of The Hood, the terrorist and prison mastermind in Thunderbirds
Members of his union are urgent forward with two 48-hour strikes at Community Rail – and 14 practice firms – from Tuesday and Friday, with additional motion deliberate over the Christmas interval.
Community Rail had provided a 5% pay rise for this 12 months – backdated to January – with one other 4% initially of 2023 and a assure of no obligatory job losses till January 2025.
The RMT’s govt really useful rejecting the supply, saying it was linked to ‘important’ modifications to working practices.
Mr Lynch not too long ago received the reward of the New York Occasions, with a current piece by an opinion author calling him an ‘unlikely nationwide hero’.
December’s ‘Calendar of Chaos’ with strikes taking place throughout a number of sectors
