Strikes across the country and region are back on as of today as workers continue to take industrial action throughout January.
With the end of last year marked by mass strikes by transport workers and staff at the NHS, Royal Mail, schools and the civil service; industrial unrest is set to continue as disputes between trade unions and the government rumble on.
Britain’s “winter of discontent” is rolling into the new year with railway staff and workers across sectors committed to further strike action, citing a lack of resolution around pay and working conditions.
Across the country, rail workers, bus drivers, Scottish teachers, nurses, ambulance workers and civil servants are also expected to stop working in the coming weeks.
London bus drivers, teachers in Scotland, postal workers, nurses, Eurostar security personnel, Border Force agents, Heathrow baggage handlers, G4S employees, driving examiners, and National Highway Workers have all already walked out in the last month.
Unions have warned of an escalation in action, with strike ballots for teachers in England and Wales and firefighters to close in this month, junior doctors also expected to be balloted.
Paul Nowak, the new general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), described a “rolling wave” of strikes unless Rishi Sunak’s government budge on pay demands., with unions taking coordinated action so that stoppages happen either on the same day or in quick succession.
Mick Lynch, chief at the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), said the Government was to blame for the ongoing chaos crippling the transport network, with staff walkouts planned on today (Tuesday), Wednesday and on Friday and Saturday.
As the rows rage over pay and working conditions, Lynch blasted the Conservatives’ “radio silence” response, saying: “I hope we can all work towards a deal but we haven’t heard from anyone formally since mid-December.”
Urging ministers to help strike a deal to break the deadlock, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The Government simply will not give a mandate to the employers – Network Rail and the train operators – that will allow this deal to be resolved. They are sitting on their hands and noted by their absence from this scene.
“They have put a block on the deal and they are an obstacle rather than a facilitator, which is unfortunate. All they want is to bash the unions,” he added.
On January 5, train drivers in the Aslef union will walk out at 15 companies, in addition to action already planned by the RMT union, meaning that train services will be crippled throughout the week when millions of commuters would be heading back to work.
Nationwide train strike dates begin today (Tuesday 3 January) with nearly all operators expected to be impacted. On strike days it is expected that just one in five trains will run but on days following a strike, timetables will be roughly 60% of normal capacity.
Train strikes are taking place on:
Tuesday 3 January
Wednesday 4 January
Thursday 5 January
Friday 6 January
Saturday 7 January
Tuesday 3 January:
Wednesday 4 January:
Thursday 5 January:
Friday 6 January:
Saturday 7 January:
Sunday 8 January
Monday 9 January:
Tuesday 10 January:
Wednesday 11 January:
Thursday 12 January:
Friday 13 January:
Monday 16 January:
Wednesday 18 January:
Thursday 19 January:
Monday 23 January:
Wednesday 25 January:
Thursday 26 January:
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