The low wages and the precarious working conditions imposed by the Government were exacerbated by the high rate of inflation, which exceeded 10.5% per year in 2022, as a result of the war in Ukraine and the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) three years ago.
British workers also mobilized against a bill from the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to curb strike disruptions, which have intensified in the past three months, by enforcing minimum service levels in key sectors, including health and transport.
The union centrals estimated that up to half a million workersincluding teachers of schools and teachers college students, drivers of trains and collective, They joined the strike, which also paralyzed airports, museums and public offices.
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Hundreds of thousands of protesters mobilized throughout the United Kingdom, with its epicenter in London, to demand the salary increase.
The protest spread to different cities in the European country, with thousands of people marching through the main cities of the United Kingdom to reject Sunak’s bill and show their discomfort with the increase in the cost of living.
Protesters gathered in front of places such as schools, train stations, universities and government departments and organized pickets to express their disagreement with government policy.
Teachers, one of the groups of workers on strike
The pay dispute involved teachers from England and Wales from 23,000 schools clustered in the National Union of Education (NEU).
Teachers reject a 5% increase offered by the government and call for a rise above inflation, amid Britain’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
They also call for solutions to the extreme conditions teachers face due to long and intense working hours, which cause many to leave the profession.
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In turn, they set more measures of force for February 14 and 28, as well as for March 1, 2, 15 and 16.
union leader Mark Serwotka warned Sky News today that if the ongoing wage dispute is not resolved, the number of strikes will continue to rise and continue throughout the summer.
“It is not feasible that the Government does nothing with this unprecedented amount of increasing force measures because, today, there are half a million workers unemployed”added the leader of the Union of Public and Commercial Services (PCS).
He further said that tens of thousands of Public employees They are using the food banks because they have a minimum wage and it is not enough.
During a meeting with thousands of teachers in Westminster, Mick Lynch, president of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), demanded a wage increase and a fair deal for workers.
Thousands of public employees gathered in the PCs, one of the largest unions in the UK, joined the strike, with hundreds of pickets across the countryin what could be considered the largest measure of force by public officials in a decade, which caused the interruption of hundreds of services, such as museums, ports and Migration officers.
It was reported that 69% of members are on strike today, with affected services across the country.
Buses and trains also suffered major disruptions due to the strike and passengers faced another day of disruptions due to a strike by train drivers members of Aslef and the RMT union.
In the afternoon, the Network Rail company, made a new offer to the union of railway workers larger to try to resolve the conflict.
The Independent Workers Union of the United Kingdom (IWGB), which brings together security, cleaning, and delivery employees, among others, informed Télam that they also joined the strike to demand a decent wage increase that includes at least 15 pounds an hour and in rejection of subcontracting practices.
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“Fair pay” and “Pay up”, the claims for the salary increase.
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the salary is not enough
According to a source from the union, inflation had an impact on the purchasing power of workers, which fell considerably with the rises in rent and the price of food, and current wages are not enough to deal with this situation.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sunak today accused the Labor opposition of allowing a culture of protests, and called on the parties to reach an agreement to ensure that children receive the education they deserve.
“I hope the two reach an agreement to ensure that the children can go back to school and receive the education they deserve. We are talking about the children, not political negotiations,” Sunak said. to the parliamentarians this afternoon during the session of questions to the prime minister.
According to a survey by the consulting firm Savanta, 58% of parents support the teachers’ strike, despite having to face the closure of schools.
In the population as a whole, 50% supported the teachers.
“The government’s strategy on the strikes was largely to hope that the longer the disruption, the greater the opposition, but so far that has not been the case,” Chris Hopkins, Savanta’s director of political research, said, according to the report. British newspaper The Guardian.
Source: Ambito