Strikes Continue Throughout the United Kingdom
Various professionals are continuing to strike across the United Kingdom in a fight for fair pay.
The lead up to Christmas saw several industries striking, from Education and the NHS to rail and postal workers, to name but a few. While some industries agreed a deal on pay with the government, or their employers, and returned to work, others are still striking.
Teachers in England and Wales are set to strike for seven days in February and March in a row over pay, while teachers in Scotland have actioned rolling strikes in different regions each day between 16th and 20th January.
For teachers in England and Wales the strike ballot was held by The National Education Union (NEU). In response to the question "Are you prepared to take strike action in furtherance of this dispute?" The ballot of teachers responded, “in England a 90.44% majority voted YES on a turnout of 53.27%. In Wales a 92.28% majority voted YES on a turnout of 58.07%.”
In a press release by the NEU they say “In its ongoing campaign for a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise, teacher members of the National Education Union in England and Wales and support staff in Wales have voted overwhelmingly for strike action and the ballot has successfully surpassed the restrictive thresholds set by Government for strike action.”
NEU add “The ballot is a result of failure by the Secretary of State in England and the employers in Wales to ensure enough money is available to pay a fully-funded increase in pay for teachers which at least matches inflation, and which begins to restore lost pay.”
The first of the strikes will take place on the 1st February, affecting 23’400 schools across England and Wales.
Over the next three months Ambulance staff, Nurses and Physiotherapists are also planning further strike action as well as Environment Agency Workers and Civil Servants.
As professional bodies, many will represent a number of members who have participated in strike action over the past 18 months. In October 2022 we released an Ask the Network (ATN) Survey regarding the impact and response to the cost-of-living crisis within professional associations which at the time showed there was little impact on membership. We will be conducting another survey later this year to compare the results to measure the impact and response across the sector, and the strikes may well form an integral part of the review.