{"id":3596,"date":"2023-02-01T14:27:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T14:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3596"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:39:35","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T14:39:35","slug":"hundreds-of-thousands-go-on-strike-makes-like-a-disruption-day-in-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/health-and-lifestyle\/hundreds-of-thousands-go-on-strike-makes-like-a-disruption-day-in-uk\/2023\/02\/01\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of Thousands Go on Strike makes like a Disruption Day in UK"},"content":{"rendered":"
LONDON<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> schools<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> UK<\/span> have<\/span> closed<\/span> some<\/span> or<\/span> all<\/span> of<\/span> their<\/span> classrooms,<\/span> paralyzed<\/span> trains<\/span> and<\/span> expected<\/span> delays<\/span> at<\/span> airports<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> biggest<\/span> unrest<\/span> the<\/span> UK<\/span> has<\/span> seen<\/span> in<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> a<\/span> decade.<\/span> Emerging<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> of<\/span> action,<\/span> unions<\/span> are<\/span> pressuring<\/span> governments<\/span> to<\/span> demand<\/span> better<\/span> wages<\/span> amid<\/span> a<\/span> cost<\/span> of<\/span> living<\/span> crisis.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Trade<\/span> Union<\/span> Congress,<\/span> a<\/span> trade<\/span> union<\/span> federation,<\/span> estimates<\/span> that<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> 500,000<\/span> workers<\/span> nationwide<\/span> will<\/span> lose<\/span> their<\/span> jobs,<\/span> including<\/span> teachers,<\/span> university<\/span> workers,<\/span> civil<\/span> servants,<\/span> border<\/span> guards<\/span> and<\/span> train<\/span> and<\/span> bus<\/span> drivers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Further<\/span> actions<\/span> are<\/span> planned<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> next<\/span> few<\/span> days<\/span> and<\/span> weeks,<\/span> including<\/span> by<\/span> nurses<\/span> and<\/span> rescue<\/span> workers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Britons<\/span> have<\/span> endured<\/span> months<\/span> of<\/span> turmoil<\/span> in<\/span> their<\/span> daily<\/span> lives<\/span> amid<\/span> lingering<\/span> bitter<\/span> disputes<\/span> over<\/span> wages<\/span> and<\/span> working<\/span> conditions<\/span> between<\/span> trade<\/span> unions<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> government.<\/span> But<\/span> Wednesday’s<\/span> strike<\/span> marks<\/span> an<\/span> escalation<\/span> of<\/span> disruptive<\/span> measures<\/span> in<\/span> several<\/span> key<\/span> industries.<\/span> The<\/span> last<\/span> major<\/span> strike<\/span> on<\/span> this<\/span> scale<\/span> was<\/span> in<\/span> 2011,<\/span> when<\/span> well<\/span> over<\/span> a<\/span> million<\/span> public<\/span> sector<\/span> workers<\/span> went<\/span> on<\/span> strike<\/span> throughout<\/span> the<\/span> day<\/span> over<\/span> their<\/span> pensions.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Union<\/span> officials<\/span> say<\/span> many<\/span> public<\/span> sector<\/span> workers<\/span> are<\/span> in<\/span> financial<\/span> trouble<\/span> as<\/span> their<\/span> wages<\/span> cannot<\/span> keep<\/span> up<\/span> with<\/span> rising<\/span> inflation,<\/span> despite<\/span> some<\/span> pay<\/span> increases,<\/span> including<\/span> his<\/span> 5%<\/span> wage<\/span> increase<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> has<\/span> proposed<\/span> for<\/span> teachers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> National<\/span> Education<\/span> Federation<\/span> said<\/span> about<\/span> 23,000<\/span> schools<\/span> were<\/span> affected<\/span> as<\/span> of<\/span> Wednesday,<\/span> with<\/span> an<\/span> estimated<\/span> 85%<\/span> closed<\/span> in<\/span> whole<\/span> or<\/span> in<\/span> part.<\/span> Others<\/span> range<\/span> from<\/span> museum<\/span> employees<\/span> and<\/span> London<\/span> bus<\/span> drivers<\/span> to<\/span> Coast<\/span> Guard<\/span> and<\/span> Border<\/span> Patrol<\/span> officers<\/span> stationed<\/span> at<\/span> passport<\/span> control<\/span> booths<\/span> at<\/span> airports.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Everyone<\/span> left,<\/span>\u00a0Of<\/span> course,<\/span> there<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> some<\/span> confusion<\/span> and<\/span> lines,”<\/span> Border<\/span> Force<\/span> Secretary<\/span> Phil<\/span> Douglas<\/span> told<\/span> reporters.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mick<\/span> Whelan,<\/span> general<\/span> secretary<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> train<\/span> drivers<\/span> union<\/span> ASLEF,<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> must<\/span> listen<\/span> to<\/span> workers’<\/span> demands.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cEverybody<\/span> knows<\/span> someone<\/span> who<\/span> works<\/span> somewhere<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> on<\/span> strike,<\/span> about<\/span> to<\/span> strike,<\/span> or<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> chosen<\/span> to<\/span> go<\/span> on<\/span> strike,\u201d<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> “Simply<\/span> put,<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> needs<\/span> to<\/span> listen<\/span> now.<\/span> People<\/span> in<\/span> this<\/span> country<\/span> are<\/span> talking<\/span> a<\/span> lot<\/span> about<\/span> wanting<\/span> a<\/span> higher<\/span> cost<\/span> of<\/span> living.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Rishi<\/span> Sunak’s<\/span> office<\/span> acknowledged<\/span> that<\/span> Wednesday’s<\/span> strike<\/span> would<\/span> cause<\/span> “serious<\/span> disruption”<\/span> to<\/span> people,<\/span> arguing<\/span> that<\/span> “negotiating<\/span> rather<\/span> than<\/span> picket<\/span> lines<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> right<\/span> approach.”<\/span> say<\/span> they<\/span> rejected<\/span> enough<\/span> negotiations<\/span> and<\/span> proposals<\/span> to<\/span> stop<\/span> the<\/span> strike.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Unions<\/span> are<\/span> also<\/span> angry<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> government’s<\/span> plans<\/span> to<\/span> introduce<\/span> new<\/span> laws<\/span> aimed<\/span> at<\/span> curbing<\/span> the<\/span> disruption<\/span> of<\/span> strikes<\/span> by<\/span> enforcing<\/span> minimum<\/span> service<\/span> levels<\/span> in<\/span> key<\/span> sectors<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> health<\/span> care<\/span> and<\/span> transportation.<\/span> MPs<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> backed<\/span> the<\/span> bill,<\/span> but<\/span> unions<\/span> criticized<\/span> it<\/span> as<\/span> an<\/span> attack<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> right<\/span> to<\/span> strike.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Thousands<\/span> are<\/span> expected<\/span> to<\/span> join<\/span> protests<\/span> against<\/span> the<\/span> law<\/span> in<\/span> London<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> cities<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>TUC<\/span> general<\/span> secretary<\/span> Paul<\/span> Nowak<\/span> said<\/span> labor<\/span> unrest<\/span> will<\/span> continue<\/span> until<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> considers<\/span> offering<\/span> acceptable<\/span> salaries.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“The<\/span> message<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> is<\/span> that<\/span> this<\/span> will<\/span> not<\/span> go<\/span> away.<\/span> These<\/span> problems<\/span> will<\/span> not<\/span> magically<\/span> go<\/span> away,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LONDON (AP) – Thousands of schools in the UK have closed some or all of their classrooms, paralyzed trains and expected delays at airports on Wednesday in the biggest unrest the UK has seen in more than a decade. Emerging as a day of action, unions are pressuring governments to demand better wages amid a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[562],"tags":[285,693,766,801,940,941],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/strikeuk.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3596"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3603,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions\/3603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}