Ministers are preparing for the largest day of industrial action in more than a decade as teachers, university professors, train drivers, public servants, bus drivers, and security guards all participate in strikes today.
A union head has warned that if the salary dispute is not addressed, additional industrial action “will be substantially larger” and strikes will continue “throughout the summer.”
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of one of the major unions in the UK, The Public and Commercial Services Union, told ministers should be warned that “the number of individuals taking or voting for action will increase.”
He told Kay Burley, “They cannot sit back while this unprecedented number of industrial actions continues to expand. Since there are now half a million of them.”
“Next week, we will have both paramedics and nurses. There will be the familiar firefighters who have voted for a strike.
“Therefore, the number of individuals doing or voting for action will increase, and I don’t believe the administration will be able to keep its head down while all this disruption occurs.
“I believe they will be obliged to adopt a much more realistic outlook”.
If they refuse, we will continue our summer campaign with long-term, continuous, targeted strikes and mass demonstrations like today.
“And I believe that if there is another one, it will be considerably larger than today’s.”
Mr. Serwotka noted that there is a “crisis of in-work poverty” and that 40,000 government employees use food banks.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt of being “missing in action” during the largest day of industrial action in almost a decade, which involved hundreds of thousands of striking workers.
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, told that the government is “playing a little fast and loose with the British public” by implying that workload, recruiting, and retention difficulties can be handled without also addressing pay.
“They are inextricably linked,” he remarked.
“The administration should sit down. As I’ve stated, the prime minister and the chancellor must find new funding.”
Mr. Nowak continued, “I believe the last time I was on your program, two or three weeks ago, I mentioned that we wanted to meet with the chancellor and the prime minister to discuss what might be done in terms of fair pay settlements and new money on the table.
We have received no response.
He continued, “I am an optimist and a negotiator, and I believe the administration would listen and negotiate.”
National Education Organization (NEU)-affiliated teachers in England and Wales are staging walkouts today. Which the union says will affect 23,000 schools.
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the NEU, stated that approximately 85 percent of schools in both countries will be totally or partially closed, forcing some parents to take leave from work or arrange for child care.
“Consequently, around 85 percent of schools will have been negatively affected by an unnecessary strike. “had the administration been willing to compromise,” she told Sky News.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan revealed that the government “does not know” the actual number of schools that have shuttered their doors but that information will be released “today”
She told Kay Burley that “the majority of schools would be open” based on a huge school administrator survey.
Ms. Keegan noted that it would be “irresponsible” to grant salary increases proportional to the rate of inflation.
Lecturers, bus drivers, and RMT and Aslef train drivers are on strike over salary and working conditions.
Approximately 123 government agencies will also be affected by industrial action.
The government’s contentious minimum service level guideline during strikes is causing nationwide protests.
Mick Whelan, leader of the Aslef union, told the PA news agency on Wednesday morning from a picket line that workers deprived of the right to strike to maintain minimum service standards under proposed rules would be reduced to “slaves.”
Downing Street acknowledged that today’s widespread strike action will be “very challenging” for the general public.
“We regret the decision of various unions to strike, as we highly appreciate their people,” said a Number 10 representative.
“We desire an honest and transparent debate regarding wages”.
Secretaries of the state continue to hold productive talks with their union counterparts. Which is a significant step toward enhancing communication and locating common ground.
“We would also like to discuss non-pay issues, such as working conditions and workload”.
We cannot pursue inflation’s tail. Increasing salaries in the public sector would cost £28 billion, or £1,000 per household.
The coming week is anticipated to be dominated by strikes by NHS staff, including nurses and ambulance drivers.
English NHS consultants are likewise planning for potential strike action.
The following week, four Border Force ports went on strike for four days during February half-term.
