Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

UK braced for biggest day of strike action in a decade

UK braced for biggest day of strike action in a decade

No 10 warns of ‘significant disruption’ to daily lives with teachers and train drivers among up half a million workers walking out
Britain will be hit by strike chaos on Wednesday as civil servants, teachers and train drivers walk out simultaneously in the most significant day of industrial action in a decade.

Downing Street warned the public that the coordinated strikes would cause “significant disruption” as around half a million workers across the public sector stage a walkout over pay, jobs and conditions.

The National Education Union (NEU) expects around 23,000 schools to be affected by strike action across England and Wales, with up to 200,000 members taking to the picket line.

Teachers do not need to give notice to schools over whether they will strike, leaving many headteachers uncertain over which gaps will need to be filled on Wednesday morning. Up to a quarter of schools could be closed in London, according to a survey of teachers.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said school leaders “will not necessarily know who is going to be available for work until the day itself”.

Many councils are posting lists of closures and part closures on their websites to keep parents informed, but others suggested schools would be in touch with parents directly if their school is affected.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, claimed that parents had largely been supportive of strike action as they can see schools “have been run down” and have teacher shortages. The NEU has called for a pay rise above inflation.

He said: “It’s a strike against disruption in education. We want the strike to be effective because we want to concentrate the Government’s mind on solving the issue.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan met the general secretaries of unions representing teachers and headteachers on Monday, but the talks failed to find a resolution.

Some 150 universities will also be affected by strike disruption on Wednesday as lecturers and librarians belonging to the UCU union join the walkout.

Meanwhile, train driver members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will walk out on Wednesday in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Industrial action will affect the 14 biggest rail operators in the UK, with most services grinding to a halt.

It comes after unions rejected a recent offer of a 4 per cent pay rise for last year and another 4 per cent this year. Union leaders argued that conditions attached to the proposed deal, such as compulsory Sunday working, were never going to be accepted.

Around 1,900 members of Unite employed as bus drivers by Abellio in London will also walk out on February 1, 2 and 3. Services in the south and west of the capital will be affected.

Up to 100,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) are set to strike across government departments, Border Force, museums and other government agencies.

The PCS is seeking a pay rise of 10 per cent after the government paid 2 per cent, which the union complained was well below the soaring rate of inflation.

Wednesday’s strike action will coincide with a day of protest against the Government’s minimum services legislation, which unions have dubbed an “anti-strike” bill.

Thousands of demonstrators are expected to march through central London on Wednesday afternoon, while the TUC will hand a petition to 10 Downing Street signed by more than 200,000 people opposing the legislation.

Under the plans, employers will be able to serve a “work notice” to staff which will identify the employees required to work to provide a minimum service level during strikes. Notices must be issued at least a week before a strike begins.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “I wish they [the government] would spend as much time trying to resolve the disputes as in attacking the right to strike.”

Downing Street conceded that Wednesday’s mass strike action would be “very difficult”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We know that there will be significant disruption given the scale of the strike action that is taking place tomorrow and that will be very difficult for the public trying to go about their daily lives.

“We are upfront that this will disrupt people’s lives and that’s why we think negotiations rather than picket lines are the right approach.”

Next week will see a large wave of strikes across the NHS, with ambulance workers, physiotherapists and nurses all set to walk out.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN), GMB and Unite members will go on strike on Monday, while the RCN will stage a second day of action on Tuesday.

Unison have announced that thousands of paramedics across five services in England – including London – will strike on February 10.

NHS consultants in England are also gearing up for possible strike action.

The British Medical Association (BMA) – the country’s biggest doctors’ union – is to hold an indicative ballot of its consultant members in February in a dispute over pay and pensions.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Budapest Post
Close
0:00
0:00
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pro democracy protest
Police violence in Paris
Paris: Some of the police are stepping down and showing solidarity with the protesters.
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Orbán Viktor: the restructuring of the power relations in the whole of Europe is taking place
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Drew Barrymore
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
Kamala Harris: "The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity."
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
Lufthansa flights cancelled and re-routed after IT Outage caused by construction work in Frankfurt! Chaos ensues!
White House: No ETs over the United States
Saray Street in Hatay-Antakya before and after the earthquake
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Nord Stream terror attack: David Sacks breaks down Sy Hersh's story
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
Miracle: El Salvador Search and Rescue teams, with the support of Turkish teams, rescued a woman and a child from the rubble 150 hours after the earthquake
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
×