Thousands of teachers and workers protest in London in the biggest strike in a decade

Half a million workers went on strike across Britain on Wednesday calling for higher wages in the biggest strike in more than a decade. The union action closed schools and severely disrupted transportation.

Europe is in a cost-of-living crisis and the latest strikes come a day after more than 1.27 million people took to the streets in France, increasing pressure on the French government over pension reform plans.

Britain’s trade union Trades Union Congress (TUC) called it the “biggest strike day since 2011”. Teachers and machinists were among the latest groups to take action, as were border guards at British air and sea ports.

“We’re on strike because we’ve actually had a pay cut for the last 10 years,” said Graham, an employment agency worker and union representative. He preferred not to give his last name.

“Some of our members, even though they work, still have to visit food banks.”

“Not only are wages not keeping pace, but things like rates, council taxes and rents are going up. Everything we get is being eaten away.”

Britain has witnessed months of strikes by tens of thousands of workers – including postal workers, lawyers, nurses and retail workers – as UK inflation rose above 11 per cent, its highest level in more than 40 years.

No ‘magic wand’

“Nothing would please me more than to wave a magic wand and make you all pay a lot more,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told health workers on Monday.

“An important part of getting to grips with inflation and halving it is making sure the government is responsible with its borrowing.”

The latest official data shows that 1.6 million working days were lost to strikes from June to November last year. It’s the highest six-month total in more than three decades, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A total of 467,000 working days were lost to strikes in November alone, the highest number since 2011, the ONS added.

In addition to the strikes, unions across the country are also organizing demonstrations against the government’s plans to curb strikes in the public sector.

TUC Secretary-General Paul Nowak said the nationwide protests would highlight that “the right to strike is a fundamental British freedom”.

Sunak has introduced a bill requiring some frontline workers to maintain a minimum level of service during work interruptions.

The prime minister has defended the plans as “reasonable” and in line with other European countries.

_For more information, watch the Euronews report in the video above. _