According to reports, the walkouts are occurring as unions consider ways to conduct additional strikes by separating ballots by job titles rather than holding a single vote.
Today, rail workers, Border Force employees, and driving examiners are beginning their strike action, and commuters are cautioned to expect significant delays as they return to work.
It follows a day of travel mayhem despite the end of a rail strike by the Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union (RMT), with masses left waiting at London’s major railway stations and many journeys delayed due to the late handover of engineering operations.
Here is a list of today’s strikers:
• On Thursday, members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) of Great Western Railway will strike from 12 p.m. to 11:59 a.m.
• West Midlands Trains will be on strike for 24 hours, from Thursday at noon to Thursday at noon.
• Driving examiners from the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will strike for five days at 71 test facilities.
• Border Force officers belonging to the same union will commence a four-day strike at six airports in the United Kingdom.
As a result of the TSSA strike, West Midlands Trains has announced that no services will operate beginning Wednesday morning.
Nadine Rae, director of organizing for the TSSA, stated that the government may help cease strike action if it permits employers to “freely negotiate” with others.
Ms. Rae told that “nothing has changed since before Christmas in terms of a contract” in response to rumors that the rail union and industry employers are “close” to reaching a pay agreement.
When asked if “almost there” was an overly optimistic statement, Ms. Rae responded, “It’s not optimistic if the government permits employers to bargain freely with others.
The government is responsible for resolving this issue, and we sincerely desire that they do so, as we recognize that the disruption is frustrating for the public.
As a result of the wave of industrial unrest, Network Rail has warned customers to brace for “seriously disrupted” travel into the new year.
A Department of Transport spokeswoman informed that the negotiation parties are aware that “our door remains open.”
Tomorrow, strikes could be called off.
The instructors, who are members of the PCS union, have walked out of test sites in Eastern England and the Midlands and will return to work on January 1.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, stated, “These strikes might be called off if Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt put money on the table tomorrow.
Mr. Serwotka states that his union’s members have been granted a meager 2% pay increase at a time when the cost of living crisis exceeds 10%.
Border Force officers at Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, and Glasgow airports as well as the port of Newhaven will restart their strikes over the same issue and return to work on December 31.
A representative for the Home Office stated that passengers can anticipate disruptions during the action, but that personnel is “working hard to ensure travelers have a safe and secure journey.”
Unions attempting to find additional strike opportunities
According to sources, unions are examining ways to conduct additional strikes by dividing ballots by job titles rather than having a single vote.
According to the I daily, the TSSA is planning to allow different sections of its membership to vote at different times to conduct multiple walkouts every week.
The Department of Transport termed the allegations as “very disheartening” and asked unions to “retreat, reconsider, and return to the negotiating table.”
According to a new survey, 40% of junior doctors intend to leave health care as soon as they can find another position.
While one-third (33%) of the 4,500 junior doctors questioned in England stated they intended to work abroad within the following year.
According to a survey by the British Medical Association (BMA), pay and poor working conditions were the primary reasons for wanting to leave.
The British Medical Association warned that the NHS “would not be able to function” without twenty percent of its junior doctor workforce.
It comes before a ballot for industrial action by approximately 45,000 junior physicians in England, which will open on January 9th.
A representative for the Department of Health and Social Care stated, “Our multi-year pay agreement with the British Medical Association will result in a cumulative 8.2% increase in junior doctors’ pay by 2023.
