Christmas strikes in polarized Britain | GP

Nurses are already on strike. Ambulance drivers are on strike. Teachers, energy workers, transport workers and white-collar workers flag industrial action.

The Guardian reports that the strike calendar leading up to the New Year will be almost fully booked, and the one-day strikes combined with point actions will shake up daily life mainly in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ambulance drivers are a good example of the 2022 Christmas strikes. They accuse Conservative Tories Health Secretary Steve Barclay of:

– A changed approach is welcome. But it was not enough for them to say ‘let’s talk about it’ to call off the strike on Wednesday, Unison’s union leader Christina McNea told Britain’s BBC Radio 4.

Minister responsible

The British government plays a role in wage negotiations, so Health Minister Barclay has a big responsibility.

Barclays and the government are determined. A bid of 4.75 percent and a minimum increase equal to SEK 19,000 per year are guaranteed. They believe that raising wages too much would be irresponsible for the economy and inflation.

The argument did not bite the negotiating unions. Consumer prices in Great Britain rose by 8.4 per cent last year.

Additionally, inflation is almost total when it comes to the supply of goods according to British The Economist. The newspaper’s calculation examines which commodities have risen more than 2 percent over the year. Answer: Everyone.

Unison, which represents ambulance drivers, says pay is part of the problem. But it is about understaffing, exposed working conditions and a general erosion of the care structure that makes the work of ambulance staff difficult.

Similar arguments were made by nurses in their industrial action.

The sharp antagonism between government and unions touches on something deeply rooted in Great Britain – where many remember the widespread strikes of the 1970s and the tough countermeasures Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded to.

History resonates

The symbol became a protracted battle between coal miners and the then Tory government led by Thatcher in the mid-1980s, a battle that polarized the country long after.

The hard-line approach of the government and the hard-line response of the unions resonates today:

– The health minister is holding Britain hostage. He is responsible if the patients suffer. She thinks it’s her moment to look like Thatcher, Sharon Graham from Unite tells The Mirror newspaper.

So the British Isles prepare for Christmas industrial action and what will become a long spring of strikes.