UK sees biggest strike in years as teachers, drivers protest

London: Up to half a million British teachers, civil servants, train drivers and university lecturers walked out over pay and conditions in the largest coordinated strike action in Britain in a generation, causing widespread disruption.

The mass walkouts across the country shut schools, halted most rail services, and the military was put on standby to help with border checks.

About 300,000 teachers went on strike on Feb 1, the biggest group involved, as part of wider action by 500,000 people, the highest number for at least a decade.

With inflation running at more than 10% – the highest level in four decades – Britain has seen a wave of strikes in recent months across different sectors, including health and transport workers, Amazon warehouse employees and Royal Mail postal staff.

So far the economy has not taken a major hit from the industrial action with the cost of the strikes in the eight months to January estimated by consultancy firm the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) at about 1.7 billion pounds ($2.09 billion), or about 0.1% of expected GDP. It put the estimated impact of the teachers’ strikes at about 20 million pounds a day.

But the strikes may be having a political impact on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government.

Next week, nurses, ambulance staff, paramedics, emergency call handlers and other healthcare workers are set to stage more walkouts, while firefighters this week also backed a nationwide strike.

Those striking are demanding above-inflation pay rises to cover rocketing food and energy bills that they say has left them stressed, feeling undervalued and struggling to make ends meet.

Image courtesy of (Photo courtesy: libcom.org)

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