Strikes bring UK to a halt
A long-running dispute over pay and working conditions came to a head yesterday, with hundreds of thousands of British workers taking part in what organisers said was the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade.
Around 500,000 workers joined in the day of mass action, as teachers, train and bus drivers, university lecturers, civil servants and airport staff staged walkouts. The huge show of discontent comes amid rampant inflation and years of stagnant wage growth, and its puts further pressure on the long-ruling Conservative Party as it grapples with a cost-of-living crisis.
The prime minister’s office warned Britons that the strike would cause ‘‘significant disruption’’. Thousands of schools were closed – about 85% of schools in England and Wales were affected, according to the National Education Union – and most trains in England were not running.
‘‘Walkout Wednesday’’ is how the Daily Mail newspaper described the strikes, calling the action a ‘‘general strike in all but name’’. The Sun tabloid called the disruption ‘‘Lockdown 2023’’.
The day of co-ordinated action is only the latest in what British newspapers have dubbed the ‘‘Winter of Discontent’’, named after a period in 1978-79 characterised by widespread stoppages.
Catherine Barnard, a British academic who specialises in employment law at the University of Cambridge, said Britain has the toughest striking laws in Europe. Disgruntled workers have to jump through many hoops before they can strike – and they are set to get tougher.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has introduced legislation that would mandate a ‘‘minimum service level’’, allowing employers to enforce a basic degree of coverage in areas such as health, rail, education, fire and border security during strike action.
Still, various workers have been striking en masse since last summer – and since then, the scale of the strikes has only escalated.
In London yesterday, tens of thousands spilled out onto the streets carrying placards that read, ‘‘I couldn’t afford art supplies to make this sign’’ and ‘‘If you can read this, it’s because a teacher taught you’’. Another sign read, ‘‘Our scissors are blunt but the cuts are sharp!’’
Nick Hone, 33, an elementary school teacher, was in the crowd marching toward the prime minister’s Downing Street offices. ‘‘We’ve basically had 12 years of funding cuts, and it really hits home in schools. I think many don’t realise the impact; when you don’t have enough staff, it increases workload hugely.’’