Warning of ‘significant disruption’ as UK braces for massive strikes

The UK government on Wednesday warned of “significant disruption” from the largest series of strikes in a decade involving teachers and classroom assistants, some bus and train drivers, security guards, civil servants and staff from 150 universities.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman told reporters that the sheer size of the strikes would make it “very difficult for the public to go about their daily lives”.

“We are honest that this will disrupt people’s lives and so we believe that negotiations rather than picket lines are the right approach,” the spokesman said.

Wednesday’s wave of industrial action is just the latest in a series of strikes hitting various parts of the UK – which will continue next week with planned strikes by nurses, midwives, ambulance workers, physiotherapists, railway workers and university staff.

Teachers demand higher pay

In England and Wales, teachers are taking union action for the first time since 2016 over demands for better pay.

London teacher Lucy Preston will miss her son’s fourth birthday this week because she has to work a second job at night as a private tutor to make sure she can pay for her childcare and mortgage.

The single mother of two will be on the picket lines with other teachers on Wednesday in hopes of earning a raise that will give some relief to her tight household budget.

“It’s heartbreaking for me,” said 38-year-old Preston of missing her son’s birthday. She works as an English teacher three days a week and takes care of her children the other two days, as she cannot afford childcare every day.

“If only I could make enough money to not have to tutor at night, I’d have a much, much happier life… It’s just a very, very depressing place to be.”

The National Education Union (NEU), which organizes the teachers’ strikes, has called for an above-inflation salary that is fully funded by the government so that schools can also cover other costs, from stationery to textbooks.

With inflation hitting double digits last year, teachers have seen a 23% real pay cut since 2010, the union says.

Preston says mortgage payments eat up two-thirds of her £1,800 a month (€2,040) salary, forcing her to find other ways to earn money, such as renting out a room in her house to a tenant and buying cheaper, frozen food instead of fresh produce.

“The stress that that causes is absolutely unbelievable… Every month it’s a struggle,” says Preston, who has worked as a teacher since 2011.

The government, which has had fruitless talks with the NEU, has called the one-year 5% pay for teachers the highest “in a generation” and says it will invest £4bn in schools over the next two years.

Civil servants join union action

That says the Association of Public and Commercial Services 100,000 civil servants will go on strike on Wednesday.

“As the cost of living crisis deepens, with inflation nearing 11%, members say they are tired of being treated horribly. Our campaign is for a 10% pay rise, retirement, job security and no cuts terms of resignation,” PCS said in a pronunciation.

Wednesday’s union action will affect the vehicle licensing authority, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and government departments such as the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care.

The union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said in an online event ahead of the strike that striking workers were “fighting hard against a ruthless government”.

Employees of 150 universities are on strike on Wednesday

Around 70,000 staff from 150 universities in the UK are also expected to take part in a strike on Wednesday to protest pay, working conditions and pensions.

It is the first of 18 days of planned strikes that unions say will affect 2.5 million students in February and March.

University bosses have offered a 5% pay rise, but unions say the offer is not enough and expect members to reject the offer.

The University and College Union UCU also wants pension cuts reversed and benefits reinstated, as they say members will lose an average of 35% of their guaranteed future retirement income.

“University vice-chancellors have been given multiple opportunities to use the industry’s vast wealth to resolve these disputes. Instead, they have forced staff to return to the picket line and disrupt students,” said the general secretary of the UCU. Joe Grady.

‘The staff don’t ask for much. They want a decent pay rise, a permanent job and that devastating pension cuts be reversed. These requirements are reasonable and achievable for an industry that has more than £40 billion in reserves.”