Affected by the continuous rise in energy prices and inflation, strikes have been held in many industries in the UK, such as transportation, medical care, and education, demanding that the government increase wages.
On the 13th local time, the wave of strikes in the UK continued.
On January 13, local time, hundreds of employees of the British Driver and Vehicle License Management Agency and more than 300 employees of the Rural Payments Agency continued to go on strike.
It is reported that the two organizations started a five-day strike on the 9th.
The head of Rural Payments, the agency that issues checks to UK farmers, businessmen and landowners, and programs that support rural community development, said the agency was dissatisfied with wages and job security between January 3 and 6. There have been strikes and this is the second strike this month.
According to the timetable of strikes in various industries in the UK in January published by the British media, the Scottish teacher industry will hold two strikes from January 16 to 20, and from January 23 to 27; Three strikes will be held until the 26th; nurses, first responders and physiotherapists will also hold three strikes.
Beginning in February, about 100,000 civil servants from 124 government agencies in the UK will go on strike. Some media predict that this will become the largest civil servant strike in the UK in many years, which may paralyze important government departments.
In addition, in order to protest salary disputes and pension issues, more than 70,000 teaching staff at 150 universities in the UK will hold an 18-day strike in February and March.
Strikes in many industries in the UK have brought unprecedented pressure on the public service industry.
The British government has met with the relevant unions several times, but the negotiations have failed to produce any results.
British Prime Minister Sunak said during his visit to Scotland on the 13th that it is important for the government and trade unions to maintain dialogue on the issue of strikes, which is why the government invited all union leaders to participate in the discussion.
Negotiations are still ongoing and we hope to find a solution as soon as possible.
Britain's strike wave continues for months amid high inflation
Since last summer, strikes have been held in many industries in the UK, demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
This wave of strikes has continued to this day and shows no sign of stopping.
Britain has suffered its worst wave of strikes since the 1980s.
This wave of strikes in the UK will start in June 2022.
Since the National Rail, Sea and Road Transport Union failed to reach an agreement with operators on wages, working conditions and possible layoffs, on June 21 last year, more than 40,000 railway employees of 14 British railway operators went on strike. Today, London Underground employees went on strike for 24 hours.
This kicked off a wave of strikes in the UK.
Since then, British railway employees have repeatedly launched strikes that have continued until this year.
More than 1,900 workers at the UK's largest container port, Felixstowe, began an eight-day strike on August 21 last year, after rail workers.
The union, the organizers, said the wage increase proposed by the port operator would not keep up with price increases.
In mid-August 2022, more than 500 dock workers at the Port of Liverpool, another major container port in the UK, decided to go on strike in order to seek wage increases and improved working conditions.
On August 26, 2022, about 115,000 employees of the British Royal Mail went on strike. The union called on the British Royal Mail to increase employee wages to a level that can cover current living expenses.
Since then, Royal Mail employees have also launched strikes several times.
In addition to railway employees, port employees, and postal company employees, employees in various fields such as British airport employees, airline employees, teachers, and immigration management personnel have launched strikes.
Among them, the most noteworthy is the strike held by the staff of the medical system.
On December 15, 2022, as many as 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing, the largest nurse union in the UK, went on strike. This is the largest nurse strike since the establishment of the British National Health Service and the first strike in the 106-year history of the Royal College of Nursing. .
On December 20 of the same year, the Royal College of Nursing continued to hold large-scale strikes in many places in the UK, demanding reasonable remuneration.
On the same day, some hospitals in the UK declared a state of emergency.
On December 21 last year, British ambulance workers went on strike, the first such action since 1990.
The strikes held by the British medical system staff are still going on this year.
Inflation soars to double digits, British people's real income shrinks
Many media reported that the historically high inflation rate in the UK and the resulting cost of living crisis are important triggers for this round of strikes.
From April to October 2022, the level of inflation in the UK will hit a record high in 40 years.
In July last year, the UK consumer price index rose by 10.1% year-on-year, and then fell back slightly. In October 2022, the UK consumer price index rose by 11.1% year-on-year.
As a result, the real income of ordinary people in the UK has shrunk significantly.
The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that after accounting for inflation, UK household income will fall back to 2013 levels in 2023, a 7% drop, the biggest drop since records began in 1956.
Jack Leslie, senior economist at the British think tank Resolution Foundation, pointed out that rising food and energy prices have led to double-digit inflation in the UK. This situation will continue for some time, which means that the real income of the British people will decline next year.
(CCTV news client)