London, UK

Workers across different sectors and industries in the United Kingdom have announced strikes in the months of December and January amid deadlock between the government, employers and unions who are demanding better pay and working conditions as the country is witnessing the highest inflation in four decades and a cost-of-living crisis. 

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Which industries are taking strike action and why?

The UK is facing significant and widespread industrial unrest this month, ahead of Christmas with labour unions across public sectors and industries, including firefighters, teachers, railway workers, nurses, Royal mail workers and so on, announcing strikes and walkouts.

Nurses

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The state-run National Health Service (NHS) is set to face a number of unprecedented industrial actions from its staff in December. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced that its members in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will strike on December 15 and December 20 where nearly thousands are expected to stage a walkout. 

ALSO READ | British nurses to go on strike for two days in December over pay dispute

The RCN has demanded a five per cent pay rise above the Retail Price Index (RPI), a measure of inflation, which is at 14 per cent. Furthermore, the union has also warned about the impact on several employers in January if formal negotiations with the government are not held. Meanwhile, they also plan on organising strikes until early May next year. 

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Transport

Transport services in the UK will be affected by these strikes as thousands of railway workers, bus drivers, road workers and the ground-handling staff at the airport are set to stage a walkout. 

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), said that industrial action demanding higher wages, job security, and better working conditions, has been scheduled on Avanti West Coast on December 13, 14, 16 and 17. 

This comes amid sections of Britain’s railways being sporadically impacted since the sector first announced strike days in June, earlier this year and plans to continue in December and January. 

ALSO READ | UK festive travel set to take a hit amid planned rail strikes in December

According to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) more than 40,000 workers across the rail network and 14 train operating companies will stage a series of strikes on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December and on 3, 4, 6 and 7 January 2023 each of which will go on for at least 48 hours. 

Additionally, they have also recently announced strikes starting Christmas eve on 24 to 27 December, demanding higher wages in line with the rising cost of living. Meanwhile, in a first, more than 1,000 railway cleaners, also a part of the RMT, will take nationwide strike action on 22, 23 and 31 December. 

The Unite Union accounting for nearly 1,000 bus drivers will strike in southern and western parts of London on 9, 10, 16 and 17 December, for a pay rise to reflect the UK’s higher cost of living. 

Baggage handlers for Menzies Aviation at Heathrow Airport will strike for three days starting December 16, which is likely to affect the services of at least ten airlines. According to the Unite union, the 350 ground handlers employed by Menzies Aviation have been offered a flat rate increase for the entire workforce which ultimately amounts to a real terms pay cut. 

ALSO WATCH | UK: Nearly 40,000 rail, maritime and transport workers on strike

Meanwhile, the road workers’ union, Public and Commercial Services (PCS) have announced a 12-day strike between December 16 to January 7, amid the busiest time of the year, Christmas and New Year. The union accounts for National Highways employees, who plan, design, build, operate, and maintain roads across the UK. 

Royal Mail 

The centuries-old Royal Mail postal service workers will stage at least six strikes in December including on Christmas eve, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) their members will walk out on 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24 December. 

This comes after the workers have been offered a pay deal which the employers claim is worth up to nine per cent over 18 months. However, with the inflation rate at 11.1 per cent workers have demanded high wages. The union has objected to proposed working conditions including compulsory Sunday working. 

Emergency services 

Three ambulance unions in the UK which are Unison, GMB and Unite, accounting for nearly 10,000 ambulance workers including paramedics, control room staff and other support workers have planned to walk out on 21 and 28 December. According to GMB, the strike will take place across England and Wales in a dispute over wages and working conditions. 

Meanwhile, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is mulling over potential strike action after they recently rejected the five per cent wage hike and has begun balloting firefighters and control staff, for the same, which closes by the end of January. 

Teachers and university employees

More than 70,000 teachers in Scotland for the first time in four decades have carried out a strike action which began with members of its largest union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) walking out on November 24. They are set to conduct sporadic strikes this month which may continue till February 2023. 

ALSO READ | UK inflation soars to 41-year high before Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement

This comes after they rejected the nearly seven per cent increase in wages, for those lowest paid, as they have demanded a 10 per cent hike. On the other hand, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), has announced strikes on 7 and 8 December. 

Tens of thousands of workers at nearly 150 universities across the UK walked out for three days last month over the number of disputes but predominantly demanding higher wages. Meanwhile, the ballot for the teaching unions in England and Wales is underway and will close in January which could lead to further strikes.

How has the UK government responded?

The announcements of strikes indicating the impending industrial unrest in the country had begun last month while Downing Street at the time had urged unions to call off the “unnecessary” strike action, while reportedly placing the military on standby in response to the potential crisis.  

Furthermore, a report by The Sunday Times claims that the incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could curb the right to strike for public sector workers including the NHS, teachers, firefighters and so on. Meanwhile, the main opposition, the Labour Party, urged the government to negotiate with the workers. 

ALSO WATCH | UK: Ambulance workers to strike; Rishi Sunak calls nurses strike threat 'very regrettable'

In an interview with Sky News, the chairman of the governing Conservative Party, Nadhim Zahawi said that the military personnel could be used to ease the impact of the strikes on the services. He added that the government’s message to the union is, “this is not a time to strike” but “to try and negotiate”. 

Zahawi, on Sunday, also blamed the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the UK’s economic struggles including the rise in energy prices which he claimed have consequently led to the wave of strikes. He also urged the unions to drop their demands, “come together” and send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot “use energy as a weapon.” 

These remarks received significant backlash from the unions at the forefront of these strikes, as RCN chief executive Pat Cullen called it a “new low for this government” which is using the conflict as a justification for a real-term pay cut for the nurses. Meanwhile, Unite’s General Secretary, Sharon Graham, called the party chairman’s allegations “that Britain’s nurses, ambulance drivers and teachers are allies of Vladimir Putin is as ridiculous as it is disgraceful.”

(With inputs from agencies) 

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