Factbox: UK faces winter strikes as workers demand higher pay | Daily News Byte

LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Britain faces widespread industrial unrest in the run up to the Christmas holidays and into January as workers struggling with double-digit inflation go on strike to demand better pay and working conditions.

Below are some of the industries in which labor unions have staged or threatened to strike, echoing actions across Europe:

railway

Large parts of Britain’s rail network have been repeatedly suspended in recent months.

Thousands of railway workers will strike before and after Christmas in a dispute over pay and conditions. Travelers are facing severe travel disruptions during the festive period.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has said more than 40,000 rail workers will walk out on December 13-14, 16-17, January 3-4 and 6-7 after failing to reach an agreement with train operators. . .

Train drivers working for London Overground suspended strike action on November 26 following a pay offer to members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union which will now be voted on.

Another union, the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), said further industrial action was scheduled for December in a dispute over pay, job security and conditions, with strikes at Avanti West Coast on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December. .

RMT members working as cleaners across the transport network have also voted in strike.

Hospitals

Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) still faces unprecedented industrial action from staff dealing with the consequences after the Covid-19 pandemic hit services, with a record 7 million patients on waiting lists for hospital treatment.

Thousands of British nurses will go on strike on December 15 and 20 after the government refused to meet their pay demands, the Royal College of Nursing Union said.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors, said its junior doctor members would vote for industrial action in early January after the government failed to meet their pay demands.

It has also said other groups of doctors it represents will consider its next steps, warning it is “on a collision course with the government”.

emergency services

More than 10,000 ambulance workers across England and Wales have voted to strike in a dispute over pay and working conditions, the GMB union said.

Trusts in Yorkshire, Wales, North East, West and East Midlands, North West, South West, South East Coast and South Central have paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff ready to go out.

The Fire Brigades Union has also rejected a proposed 2% pay rise and said it is preparing for industrial action.

Teachers

Teachers in Scotland have taken strike action for the first time in almost 40 years after talks over a pay deal broke down.

Members of Scotland’s largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), walked out of classrooms on 24 November and the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) has also announced two days of strike action on 7 and 8 December. Ongoing pay dispute.

Thousands of teachers and education staff in England and Wales began voting in October on whether to take strike action over pay and funding disputes. Voting closes in January.

The NASUWT union said it was polling its around 162,000 members working in schools and colleges on industrial action in England and Wales for the first time since 2011.

Postal services

British postal workers at century-old post and parcel company Royal Mail ( IDSI.L ) have held several rounds of strikes this year in disputes over pay and working conditions.

The latest round of ten-day walkouts by members of the Communications and Workers Union (CWU) at the end of November and throughout December is expected to disrupt Black Friday and pre-Christmas deliveries.

Telecom

About 40,000 BT Group ( BT.L ) workers, including telecom engineers and 999 emergency call handlers, staged a series of national strikes in October over a pay dispute.

The CWU, which represents workers at BT Group and its networking arm Openreach, previously held similar walkouts in July and August.

Compiled by Mark Potter Editing by Farooq Sulaiman

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