LONDON (Reuters) – British ministers are due to meet with trade unions on Monday to try to bring an end to a wave of strike action across sectors from healthcare to transport as workers demand higher pay.
With pay rises failing to keep up with double-digit inflation, which is now around 40-year highs, nurses, ambulance staff, and rail workers are among those who have staged walk outs, with teachers also being balloted over action.
The government has called on unions to cancel strikes while it holds talks and has argued that inflation-matching pay rises will only fuel further price increases and cause interest rates and mortgage payments to go up further.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday he was willing to discuss pay rises for nurses in England, who are due to go on strike again on Jan. 18 and 19 after walking out for two days in December.
Unions have said they will only call off strikes in the next few weeks if offers are made to resolve the disputes over this year’s pay settlement, while the government wants to negotiate pay rises for next year.
Teaching unions, who are due to announce the result of their strike ballots in the coming days, are due to meet with the education minister on Monday. The health minister will hold talks with unions representing ambulance workers and nurses, while the transport minister will meet rail unions.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Sarah Young)
