Half a million workers in Britain are on strike on Wednesday, thousands of schools are closed, railway lines are closed and there are major disruptions at the borders. Meanwhile, unions confirmed that talks to end repeated strikes since December “are going backwards.”
A new wave of train attacks has paralyzed Britain
Ahead
The government has been accused of “misleading public opinion” and stalling any progress towards an agreement with NHS workers and rail unions. Government sources privately acknowledged that the early January optimism about an end to the strikes had faded.
The coordinated series of strikes affect teachers, civil servants, border guard workers and train drivers. The government has asked citizens to prepare for “major disruption”.
Thousands of schools in England and Wales are closed, or partially closed, as the 200,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU) strike to demand a pay rise above inflation. Schools in Fife and Orkney (Scotland) are also on strike this Wednesday as part of regional action by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s largest teachers’ union.
The NEU estimates that 85% of schools will be affected, and one survey suggests that one in seven schools close their doors to all students, with this figure rising to one in four in London.
The full extent of the disturbance would not be known until after the start of the school day, as striking teachers were not required to notify schools in advance, forcing parents to seek alternatives. The prime minister’s official spokesman, Rishi Sunak, called the lack of information “disappointing”.
Most of England’s trains are not expected to run this Wednesday, with the strike affecting 14 of the biggest operators, and disruptions at airports and queues at immigration halls also expected to increase due to a strike by train union Staff Public and Commercial Services (PCS). are supposed to. The largest union of civil servants in the country.
More than 100,000 officials from more than 100 public departments and bodies are also called for the strike, including the Cabinet Office, health, transport, education and business departments, as well as the British Museum, the Electoral Commission, the United Kingdom’s space agency. Kingdom and Land Registry.
There are no plans for further talks between the government and the unions, although Education Minister Gillian Keegan met four education unions earlier this week.
dialogue “blocked”
NHS workers, who will not go on strike until next week, are particularly angry that government briefings announcing that pay talks would be considered until efficiencies are found have come to nothing.
A senior union source says the government has “blocked” all proposals for further meetings. Sunak’s spokesman said he was “not aware of any [reunión],
Talks to avoid a strike failed on Monday and while the NEU was set to resume talks to avoid strikes scheduled for February and March, there doesn’t appear to be much hope of progress as the Treasury block progresses.
“This is a government that does not understand the role of unions. They do not understand that in the end they will have to negotiate. At the moment they have not made any proposal”, says the union’s deputy general secretary, Marie Busted. “We have 27 days until the next strike day. We promise to use that time to negotiate a solution to this conflict We ask the government to show the same commitment”.
without confidence
The train drivers’ union said efforts to resolve a pay dispute ahead of Wednesday’s strike had completely stalled, which has paralyzed most of Britain’s railways.
Drivers are further away from resolution than ever, according to Simon Weller, assistant general secretary of the Sleaf union, which represents train drivers. “Unfortunately, things have gone somewhat backwards,” he tells The Guardian.
Weller blamed a breakdown in talks over an initial proposal that the Rail Distribution Group, which represents rail operators, promptly made public to the press last month before the union could see it. “It broke all our faith in the negotiation process, in the protocol… and the problem is they backed into a corner.”
In his opinion, the proposal and terms were “designed to fail.” Besides angering union leaders, the bullet backfired on them as drivers fumed over the details of the agreement. “Last week we hosted a webinar with 1,000 associates… The questions were: When are we moving? They are very angry.”
Commuters have been told to check before traveling as there are no trains on most intercity and suburban routes as Aslef Union closed the first two days of strike action this week. There will be another 24-hour strike on Friday.
Of the 14 operators in England, only South Western Railway will attempt to run a normal service, while Greater Anglia, the LNER and the GWR will run a minimal service.
“unsustainable” demand
About 600 troops are expected to be deployed on Wednesday, most of them on border duties, to mitigate the effects of the attacks.
“We know that given the magnitude of the strike that is about to take place, there will be significant disruption. [este miércoles] And it will be very difficult for the public trying to go about their daily lives,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
A senior government source says Sunak had made it clear the unions would have to call off the strike before serious talks could take place, although an exception was made with the NEU on Monday, but according to this source, officials are working to find a solution. Were working continuously for.
For the health and education unions, the source says it was clear that the current demands were unworkable without major spending cuts or tax increases. As far as next week’s NHS strike is concerned, the source says: “We have indicated we are willing to talk about wages, but there has to be a landing zone. We don’t know where it is for the unions. What does that look like and we can’t start from a base of normal 10% growth.” Health unions confirm they have received no indication of what the government might offer.
strike in ports
Phil Douglas, director general of the Border Guard, told an airport operators conference in London that the attacks could have a greater impact than in December, when the army was deployed and queues were only slightly reduced.
This time, Douglas said, “Everybody on the streets: all members of the PCS will go tomorrow [este miércoles] He added that there would “certainly” be more border guard strikes, as the PCS mandate would last until May: “I would expect them to use it”.
The PCS union announced on Tuesday night that Border Corps workers working at Dover, Calais, Dunkirk and the Eurotunnel entrances in France would go on strike during the semester. This is the first strike at the ports during the current conflict, and more than 1,000 officers are expected to be affected on 17, 18, 19 and 20 February.
This would be the first strike to affect UK ports and could lead to chaos during the school holidays. The port strikes will have no effect on Border Guard officers working with new arrivals in small boats at the Western Jet Foyle and Manston processing centers.
Sunak “misled public opinion”
The NHS strike is expected to intensify next week, will be called for every day except Wednesday, and will include ambulance staff, nurses and physiotherapists.
Philip Hurd, chair of the NHS pay review body, revealed unions were further angered after evidence was presented to them by the Department of Health and Social Care ahead of the next pay round, which starts in April, around three weeks after the deadline date . ,
The largest health union, Unison, said it would announce strike dates by March, which is expected to double as many health trusts and include the entire ambulance service in England.
The union’s health chief, Sarah Gorton, says the government is “misleading public opinion” by pretending they were working to reach an agreement. “There is no talk of salary and the prime minister should stop trying to mislead public opinion,” he says.
“The government’s strategy seems to be to trap itself, wait months for the report from the pay review body, and hope the conflict goes away. And it won’t.”
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the General Union (GMB) and the Unite union will go on strike next Monday, with Tuesday marking the second day of RCN action. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy will strike on Thursday 9 February, and 15,000 Unison ambulance workers will strike on five ambulance services across England the next day.
The Institute of Public Administration published a report showing that turnover in the public service is at its highest level in ten years. Morale has dropped for the first time since 2015, and only 41% of those surveyed say their organization motivates them to achieve their goals, compared to 51% last year.
