Strike Christmas for English Civil Servants

Around 20 nurses covered in down jackets staged a picket outside Great Ormond Children’s Hospital in central London. “ More work and less pay reads on a hand-painted cardboard. “ Will we be there enough when you need us?asks another banner. Within the organization, services have been reduced to a minimum. Emergencies include cancer treatments, intensive care and urgent examinations, but not routine interventions or consultations. Across the country, some 100,000 health workers went on strike Thursday, for the first time in their history. This wave of discontent affects many sectors. This week, rail workers, postmen, driver’s license inspectors, Heathrow airport baggage handlers, motorway workers and security guards on the Eurostar line have all walked off the job, paralyzing the United Kingdom.

Now Christmas and the beginning of the New Year the situation will get worse. ” Firefighters and teachers unions are discussing with their members joining the movement in JanuaryKevin Rowan, one of the national officers of the TUC trade union confederation, explains. In total, 1.5 million workers may go on strike in December and January. These union actions are designed to increase the downstream disruption of year-end celebrations. Postal workers went on strike on Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday and will stop work just before Christmas, putting gift deliveries across the country at risk. Nurses and paramedics will go on strike again on Tuesday, this time with an impact we imagine for an emergency. Railway staff and border guards will leave their posts from December 23 to 26, disrupting holiday departures. To mitigate the effects of these measures, the government is already planning to deploy a thousand soldiers.

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These striking workers, mostly from the public service, are united by a common demand. “ They want to see their wages revalued to cover the real decline in income in recent years. Kevin Rowan notes. This demand has become more pressing in the face of inflation in 2022.This trade unionist condemns “ Austerity policyLed by conservative governments in power since 2010. The Tories prioritized debt control, but this resulted in unacceptable pay levels for public service workersHe believes. We haven’t seen industrial action on this scale since the 1980s, under Margaret Thatcher.Between June and October, 1.1 million work days were lost, a number not seen since 1990.

The indomitable Rishi Sunak

Faced with these demands, Govt Rishi Sunak proves intractable. He offered public sector workers a pay rise of around 4.5%, far less than the 16% demanded by nurses or the 10% demanded by the main public sector union, the General and Commercial Services Union. For Health Minister Steve Barclay, these demands “Too much», and the government will have no way. He also says he followed the recommendations of an independent body responsible for reviewing salaries in the public sector. “But his calculations were made a year ago, when inflation was barely 5%.Kevin Rowan notes.They are overflowing.»

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For the nurses who went on strike on Thursday, the decision was not an easy one. “It breaks my heart to leave my patients,says Carmel O’Boyle, a 42-year-old nurse who works at a GP practice in Liverpool.But I’m tired.“She has twenty years of experience as a nursing assistant and six years of experience as a nurse and earns €34,000 a year. Faced with inflation that hit 10.7% in November, it is now struggling to make ends meet. “I live very frugallyShe explains.I buy less food and work many overtime jobs to supplement my income.“But this is not enough.”How do you expect me to take care of my patients if I am terrified of not being able to pay the electricity bill and feed my children?She shouts. The press is full of testimonials from nurses who can’t go to work because they can’t afford a full tank of gas. As a result, one in four hospitals has set up a food bank for employees too poor to shop for.

Public support

Across the UK, real pay for nurses has fallen by 21% over the past decade, and even for the most experienced by 30%, according to a study by London Economics, a think tank. “Government pay rises have consistently been below inflation over the past decade“, notes Gavan Conlon, the organization’s economist. Because of this pay cut, many nurses are leaving the profession.”They earn more and have a better quality of life by checking out at a supermarketDavid Strain, human resources expert at the British Medical Association, comments. Brexit has exacerbated these tensions. “We were very dependent on medical personnel imported from Eastern Europe, Spain or IrelandRichard Murray, director of the King’s Fund, a non-governmental organization specializing in the health sector, notes:But they can no longer immigrate to the UK.There are nearly 47,000 nursing vacancies in the country or 12% of the total vacancies. These deficiencies adversely affect the working conditions of incumbent employees. “A typical day starts at 8 am and ends at 8:30 pm.Carmel O’Boyle says.But I already had to wait until dawn to take care of a patient by ambulance.“She Says There Must Be”Constant fatigue“and”ExpiredDue to workload.

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Despite the setbacks, there is public opinion support for the strikers. According to a survey conducted by the YouGov Institute, the nurses’ movement gathers 64% favorable opinion. Visiting Croydon Hospital in late October, Rishi Sunak approached an elderly patient and asked if the carers were looking at her. “SurelyShe retorted,Shame you don’t pay them more.»