Britain hit by worst month for strikes in 11 years as pay disputes escalate1 hour in the past

The UK recorded the best variety of working days misplaced to labour disputes in October for greater than 10 years, official information confirmed on Tuesday, as staff went on strike to demand increased pay within the face of hovering inflation.

The info comes as greater than 40,000 railway staff start their newest spherical of walkouts on Tuesday in a long-running dispute over pay and circumstances, inflicting widespread disruption to the nation’s transport community.

The Workplace for Nationwide Statistics mentioned 417,000 working days had been misplaced to strikes in October, the best since November 2011 when just below 1,000,000 days had been misplaced on account of public sector staff strolling out in a row over pension reforms.

Between June and October this yr, greater than 1.1 million working days had been misplaced, the ONS figures confirmed, the best in a five-month interval since early 1990.

Staff throughout a variety of sectors have gone on strike in latest months, from rail staff to lecturers, postal employees to legal professionals, as inflation, which hit a 41-year excessive of 11.1 per cent in October, squeezes family budgets.

Whereas some smaller, principally non-public sector disputes have been resolved, the federal government has up to now refused to budge on public sector pay and is as a substitute trying to tighten legal guidelines to make it more durable for these in key sectors to strike.

The federal government says the pay rises being demanded are unaffordable and mountain climbing pay to match inflation would solely worsen the issue.

“Any motion that dangers embedding excessive costs into our financial system will solely extend the ache for everybody, and stunt any prospect of long-term financial progress,” finance minister Jeremy Hunt mentioned.

ONS information confirmed pay, excluding bonuses, grew in annual phrases by 6.9 per cent within the non-public sector within the three months to October, in contrast with 2.7 per cent within the public sector.

Strikes are on account of happen practically day by day in December, with nurses set to stroll out on Thursday for the primary time of their union’s historical past.

Following a gathering with the well being minister on Monday, the pinnacle of the Royal Faculty of Nursing union, Pat Cullen, mentioned the federal government had refused to debate pay.

“They’ve closed their books and walked away,” she mentioned.

Union estimates forecast greater than 1 million working days might be misplaced in December, making it the worst month for disruption since July 1989.

Polls present that whereas the vast majority of the general public assist nurses putting over pay, solely a minority again the rail strikes.

The RMT union, which represents the 40,000 rail employees strolling out for eight days within the run-up to and over the Christmas interval, mentioned on Monday 63.6 per cent of its members who voted had rejected the most recent provide of a 5 per cent and 4 per cent pay rise over two years from Community Rail, which owns and maintains prepare infrastructure.

“The tide of opinion amongst the general public is popping,” transport minister Mark Harper informed ITV. “They want the honest and cheap provide on the desk to be accepted.”

Harper mentioned reforms had been wanted to the railways as 20 per cent of passengers and 40 per cent of commuters had not returned to the community after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business physique UKHospitality has warned the rail strikes would have a vastly damaging affect throughout one of many busiest buying and selling durations of the yr, with an estimated hit to revenues of 1.5 billion kilos as Christmas social gathering bookings are cancelled.