British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was dissatisfied with the chaos caused by the wave of labor strikes sweeping the country, noting that the situation has become difficult and that the best thing that can be done in the interest of the country is to fight inflation.
Strikes continue and expand in several sectors. With the highway workers' strike in the southeast of England entering its second day, the strike of those responsible for driving tests continues.
Employees at the passport control department at several British airports are on strike to demand better working conditions and higher salaries.
Thousands of passengers traveling through Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow airports may face possible delays due to the strike, which will continue until the end of this month.
The Union of Public and Commercial Services confirmed that the strikes could continue for six months if the government did not sit at the negotiating table.
The Nursing Union also announced a new strike in England on January 18 and 19.
Since yesterday, highway workers and employees have started a 4-day strike in London and the southeast of the country, as the strikers are demanding better wages and working conditions in line with the high inflation rates.
Thousands of ambulance workers in England and Wales went on strike to demand higher wages, piling pressure on the state-funded NHS, a day after nursing staff went on strike after last-minute talks between the government and unions failed. .
For weeks, Britain has witnessed an escalating wave of strikes in several sectors, most notably the sectors of ambulance drivers, forcing the government to seek the assistance of hundreds of army soldiers to drive ambulances, instead of its original crews on strike.
The government and unions blamed each other for the potential loss of life as a result of the strikes, and healthcare officials warned of straining a system already in crisis.
strikes in France
On the other hand, drivers, controllers and workers in the French railways are on strike to demand an improvement in their conditions and an increase in their wages.
The French railway company said that 200,000 passengers were affected by the strike, following the cancellation of two out of five high-speed trains.
The French government is in negotiations with the unions to reach a solution to cancel the strike scheduled for next week, which coincides with the return of the French from New Year's holidays.