Strike-weary Britons may face further travel disruption on Friday, when road traffic officers and control-room staff begin a two-day action, the latest in a wave of walkouts sweeping across Britain.
(Bloomberg) — Strike-weary Britons may face further travel disruption on Friday, when road traffic officers and control-room staff begin a two-day action, the latest in a wave of walkouts sweeping across Britain.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union working for National Highways in the southwest and the West Midlands will strike, a move the union said would reduce their ability to respond to crashes and could delay the reopening of roads. Further walkouts are planned for next week.
The move follows a string of industrial actions in the UK, from railway staff and Border Force officers to nurses and ambulance drivers. Workers are demanding raises to stop the fastest inflation in decades from eroding their incomes. Matters look set to worsen next week when staff at rail networks walk out just as commuters return to work after the holidays.
While the UK government acknowledged on Wednesday that the strikes are causing “massive disruption” for ordinary people, it reiterated Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s opposition to large pay increases on the grounds they will further stoke inflation.
Read more: UK’s Sunak Braces for ‘Massive Disruption’ From Strikes
In response, unions are threatening bigger walkouts in the new year. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, told Sky News that it was “only a matter of time” before “coordinated and synchronized” action was launched across the unions.
More strikes will kick off in the coming days. On Friday and Saturday, contract cleaners on London’s Dockland Light Railway will walk out over pay, imposed rotas and working conditions. Across the country, 1,000 contracted cleaners will strike on New Year’s Eve — demanding £15 ($18) an hour and company sick pay, along with better holiday and pensions.
Rail disruption will intensify on Tuesday, the first of five straight days of strikes in the first week of the year, snarling commutes. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers will stage a walkout on Jan. 3, 4, 6 and 7, and the Aslef Union, which represents train drivers, said members will strike on Jan. 5.
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