Strike In Britain: Lakhs of professional people have gone on strike in British country Britain. Here a joint strike has been started by train drivers, teachers, university employees and civil servants. Office workers were forced to work from home on Wednesday due to widespread protests and Britain’s rail network was closed.
Thousands of teachers were seen marching in London, the capital of Britain. It is being told that at least 475,000 union members have taken to the street to demand their salary hike. They say that the current salary is not enough according to the cost of living, it will increase the crisis further. At the same time, many people were given the benefit of a salary hike of less than 5% last year, while inflation climbed above 10%.
British on the streets to get salary hike
However, major train stations in London, including Victoria, Canon Street, Marylebone and London Bridge, are closed due to the strike, while more than a dozen major commuter rail lines are running no services. According to the National Education Union, around 85% of schools in England and Wales are estimated to be closed or partially closed. However, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said on Wednesday morning that “the vast majority of schools” were open, and more precise figures would be published later today.
Biggest strike in decade
The crowd that is seen in the protests, it seems that such a big strike is happening in Britain after a decade. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is under increasing pressure to resolve disputes with public sector workers by making a more generous proposal on wages in the country. Train drivers, teachers, university employees and civil servants are all protesting together.
Growing crisis on the British economy
The massive shocks in the final quarter of the year could cost Britain £1.5 billion ($1.85 billion), with the economy expected to shrink in the first three months of 2023, according to Bloomberg Economics.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesman Max Blain said in London on Tuesday, “We know that there will be great disruption due to the strike. It will cause a lot of difficulties in people’s daily lives.”
People gave this opinion in the poll
More than half of people believe Rishi Sunak’s government is trying unsuccessfully to negotiate with unions to avoid public sector strikes, according to an Ipsos poll published on Wednesday. And just 17% think ministers are doing a good job, while almost a third – 31% – said Keir Starmer’s opposition Labor Party would have handled the situation better if they were in power.
More than 1 lakh teachers expected to go on strike
The teachers’ strike is likely to be particularly effective given that many parents will have to stay at home. Because more than 100,000 teachers are expected to walk out of 23,000 schools in England and Wales.
According to NEU joint secretary Kevin Courtney, teaching assistants have started leaving their jobs to work in the shops. “You can often get better pay in supermarkets for a less skilled and less responsible job,” he said in an interview on Tuesday. “So many teachers may find shop work appealing.”
This section can also be involved in the strike
Civil servants going on strike may also include border force officers at airports and major ports. Adding to the woes of the government, the Public and Commercial Services Union said late on Tuesday that around 1,000 Border Force officers, who work across the Channel in Dover, Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk, would go on a four-day strike from February 17. Due to this, bigger difficulties will arise in front of the government.
