Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) staged their first stoppage on June 21 final yr in a dispute over pay, jobs and situations.
That dispute, which stays unresolved, is seen as the beginning of a stream of high-profile strikes by staff starting from barristers, lecturers, nurses, junior docs, college lecturers and civil servants, to cleaners and posties.
Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures present there have been 3.7 million working days misplaced in labour disputes within the UK within the 11 months to April, the very best quantity in an 11-month interval in over 30 years.
Peter Turnbull, professor of administration and industrial relations on the University of Bristol Business School, stated: “This first anniversary marks an important milestone in the UK’s contemporary industrial relations history.
“More than three-quarters of the days lost came from transport, storage, information and communications, but daily life has also been affected by strikes in our schools and universities, the NHS, and Civil Service.
“After the longest period of falling real wages since records began, pay has understandably dominated the headlines, but the causes of these ongoing disputes run much deeper after years of austerity, consequent work intensification and falling standards of service provision.
“All strikes are eventually ‘settled’, but workers will remain unsettled by this prolonged period of industrial action for years to come.”
Nurses are seeing that the general public backs them, whereas the truth that public help has risen ought to urgently focus consideration in Downing Street
The PA news company has interviewed basic secretaries of a number of unions which have taken motion, and they’re all vital of the Government in addition to employers.
Pat Cullen, of the Royal College of Nursing, stated: “In the last year we have seen levels of strike action that few people could have imagined, with next month marking a year since the RCN announced it would ballot its members.
“That ballot led to unprecedented action from nursing staff who are standing up for their patients – they will no longer tolerate the low pay that fails to attract and retain people in the profession and puts patients at risk.
“In the final days of our ballot for further action, new polling has shown public support for nurses striking is unwavering, with support actually rising since the eve of the first strike in December last year.
“Nurses are seeing that the public backs them, while the fact that public support has risen should urgently focus attention in Downing Street.”
There is little question that the Government is totally responsible
Mark Serwotka, of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), stated: “There is no doubt that the Government is completely to blame, fuelled by an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis in which workers have been squeezed like never before.
“Ministers have been appalling. They assumed there would not be the stomach for a fight, but they made a catastrophic mistake.
“The Government has now made concessions to Civil Service unions, but only after months of action, ranging from national strikes, to targeted action in departments or areas such as the Border Force.”
Mick Whelan , of the prepare drivers’ union Aslef, stated a latest overwhelming vote by his members to proceed taking industrial motion for the subsequent six months exhibits their dedication to safe a good pay rise.
My members get numerous help from the general public when they’re on picket strains
Drivers have been “demonised” by the Government and a few commentators are eager to spotlight how a lot they’re paid, however the level of the dispute is that many drivers haven’t had a pay rise for 4 years, he stated, including: “They asked us to run trains during the pandemic so that key workers could get to work and our reward was having no pay rise for years and threats to rip up terms and conditions.”
Mick Lynch, of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), stated the rail strikes have continued for thus lengthy as a result of the Government determined to “dig in” at the beginning of the dispute.
“They thought the strikes would be blown away in a few weeks, the public would turn against us and they told the train companies they would be indemnified against any losses during industrial action.
“The then transport secretary Grant Shapps was highly regarded at that stage. He said he was going to get thousands of agency workers to cover for those on strike and ban overtime – but it all backfired.”
Mr Lynch stated it turned clear that the employers had been prevented from negotiating and had their fingers tied by the Government.
“It is actually in their contracts. The Secretary of State is entirely responsible for industrial relations.
“We have spent hundreds of hours talking to the employers but we have never got to the point of having an acceptable deal, even when the cost to the economy of the dispute – said to be £5 billion – is more than it would have taken to get a settlement.”
Mr Lynch stated RMT members are ready to proceed taking industrial motion “for as long as it takes” and believes their motion over the previous yr has been an inspiration to different staff who’ve grow to be embroiled in disputes.
“My members get a lot of support from the public when they are on picket lines – and I’ve been stopped in the street by City gents congratulating me on our campaign.”
TUC basic secretary Paul Nowak stated the wave of commercial motion over the previous yr is unprecedented, and exhibits that staff have determined they don’t need to settle for continued real-terms pay cuts.
He believes the Government has “clearly been pulling the strings” of the rail dispute and thought the general public would flip towards putting unions, however there is no such thing as a proof of a public backlash.
Christina McAnea, of Unison, praised her NHS members whose greatest strike motion in a long time “won the hearts of the public”, which she stated compelled the Government to return to the desk with more cash – and the Environment Agency, Care Quality Commission and college employees who’re nonetheless in dispute.
“There have been some brilliant moments on the picket lines,” she stated. “Our members braved hours of freezing weather to stand up for what’s right – not only for themselves, but for their colleagues and for the future of our public services.”
Strikes are taking place as a result of working folks have merely had sufficient of this relentless assault on their residing requirements
Gary Smith, of the GMB, stated: “For millions – NHS workers, carers, retail staff and so many more – this brutal cost-of-living crisis has become a permanent nightmare.
“Strikes are happening because working people have simply had enough of this relentless attack on their living standards.
“Bosses everywhere must start listening to the real problems being faced and deliver pay rises that stop their employees from continually getting poorer.”
Jo Grady, basic secretary of the University and College Union, stated over the previous yr the union has mobilised “like never before”, successful two nationwide ballots.
“Thanks to our members’ steadfastness on picket lines we are on the verge of seeing our retirement benefits restored, in full.
“This will be the biggest pensions win in British trade union history.
“Our fight for improved pay and conditions continues, but, make no mistake about it, every employer now knows that this union can win national ballots, any time, any place and under any circumstances.”
A Government spokesperson stated: “As the whole country deals with cost-of-living pressures, we must ensure settlements are fair, affordable for the taxpayer and reasonable, allowing us to bring down inflation which will benefit everyone.
“Industrial action should always be a last resort. The Government will continue to engage constructively with trade unions and is prepared to agree reasonable and affordable settlements if unions come to the table, as we have already done with both NHS unions and the RMT.”
