As the UK braces for a winter of strikes, will workers succeed in securing pay rises from the government? With the rising cost of living and rates of inflation, nurses have voted to go on strike for the first time since the RCN’s creation 106 years ago.
Since the start of this year, the cost of living in the UK has soared with inflation at just over 10% and energy bills rising to unheard of levels. Despite these conditions, many in the public sector have yet to receive a pay rise from the government; plagued with low pay and bad working conditions, hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have voted to go on strike, a move met with mixed reactions from those in the UK. Not all strike action is about pay rises however as many train drivers have also gone on strike for better job security among worries that they could easily be replaced in an ever developing world of technology.
Train strikes have taken place in the UK throughout much of the summer and autumn but only served to kickstart workers from a multitude of professions voting to go on strike. So far those who have voted to go on strike include train and bus drivers, nurses, postal workers, dock workers, teachers (only in Scotland), barristers, civil servants and university staff. Additionally, junior doctors, firefighters, other teaching unions across the UK, aviation workers and 350,000 health workers are all holding ballots in the next few months.
Although strikes cause major disruption, it is a last resort for many, including nurses who have never gone on strike before in the Royal College of Nursing’s 106 year history. Many frown up health workers going on strike due to worse emergency services and care for those in hospital however public support for nurses remains high at 64%. The RCN has announced that nurses are going on strike on the 15 and 20 of December with the union saying that government ministers have not agreed to any formal talks with them.
Of those who have gone on strike, criminal barristers, some bus drivers and train drivers have been able to secure a pay rise but the government has remained resolute in their position that after Liz Truss’ disastrous economic plan which resulted in 20 billion pounds lost from the UK’s economy, the Government can’t afford to give workers pay rises. Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary who has been seen as a figurehead for unions in the media, has said that despite positive talks with the government, they are no closer to calling off their winter strikes.
As a winter of strike action looks more and more likely to be upon us, it seems that strikes will be the only way that many workers are going to be able to survive a gruelling winter of soaring energy bills and the choice between heating and eating.
