Workers in all sectors in Britain are intensifying their struggles against their increasing exploitation. In the face of huge price rise and cutbacks in government expenditure, they are demanding a raise in wages and better working conditions.
Teachers
School teachers in Britain, organised under the National Education Union (NEU), have announced their decision to go on strike on April 27 and May 2. They are fighting for higher wages and lesser workload.
The government had offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for the next year. 98% of 191,319 serving teachers have rejected the government’s latest offer. Calling the government’s offer “insulting”, the teachers have announced that they will continue their struggle for higher wages.
Health care workers
UK healthcare workers organised under the banner of Unite union, have announced a fresh round of strikes in support of their demands.
2,000 ambulance workers and another 1,500 health care workers in Britain will hold fresh strikes throughout May, the union announced on April 19, citing discontent with the government’s latest pay offer. They have threatened a walkout on May 1 at some central London hospitals. Workers of a number of regional ambulance and hospital organisations are scheduled to strike on May 2.
Nurses of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have announced a 48 hour walk out from April 30. They have rejected the government’s latest pay offer.
Junior doctors
Around 47,000 junior doctors completed four days of strike on April 15. Junior doctors had earlier gone on strike in March, seeking a 35% pay rise that the government declared ‘unaffordable’ and refused to grant.
Passport office staff
Over 1000 workers in passport offices in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport are continuing a five-week strike, which will end on May 5. Their union, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), has been agitating for a long time, over pay, pensions and job security.
Media workers
Journalists at the BBC’s local networks have announced their plan to go on strike on May 5 over job cuts. It has been reported that BBC is closing down many local radio stations and terminating job contracts of many journalists.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency workers
1,500 Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) driving examiners and test centre workers are striking on a rolling basis in April 2023. They are demanding higher wages. They went on strike on April 17 and will continue their strike action till April 28, in different parts of England, Wales and Scotland.
Public service workers
130,000 civil and public service workers belonging to the PCS union, including Border Force agents will be on strike on April 28.
Highway Traffic workers
National Highways staff working at the National Traffic Operations Centre in Quinton, West Midlands, were on strike from April 3 – 7. They will continue their agitation in different places, on a rolling basis from April 5 – 28.
Railway Workers
Railway workers organised under the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) are planning to continue their strikes over the next six months, for higher wages, as they are unsatisfied with latest wage raise offer of the government.
British Library and British Museum employees
British Library workers went on strike April 3-16. British Museum workers went on strike April 6-12. They are demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
Heathrow airport workers
Over 1,400 security guards at the Heathrow Airports Ltd. (HAL) went on strike March 31 – April 9, under the banner of the Unite Union.
The strike action caused major disruption in airport services during the Easter break, for which the workers blamed the government’s refusal to negotiate with the striking workers.