THREAD: strikes public opinion
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News Timeline
STRIKES: Junior Doctors Enter Talks With Government after Pay Rise AGREED for Nurses and Ambulance Workers
— After the UK government finally struck a pay deal for most NHS staff, they now face pressure to allocate funds to other parts of the NHS, including junior doctors. After a 72-hour strike, the British Medical Association (BMA), a trade union for doctors, has vowed to announce new strike dates if the government makes a “substandard” offer.
It comes after NHS unions reached a pay deal for nurses and ambulance staff on Thursday. The offer included a 5% pay rise for 2023/2024 and a one-off payment of 2% of their salary. The deal also consisted of a Covid recovery bonus of 4% for the current financial year.
However, the current offer does not extend to NHS doctors, who now demand a complete “pay restoration” that would bring their earnings back to the equivalent of their pay in 2008. This would entail a substantial pay rise, estimated to cost the government an additional £1 billion!
FINALLY: NHS Unions Reach PAY DEAL With the Government
— NHS unions have reached a pay deal with the UK government in a major breakthrough that could finally end the strikes. The offer includes a 5% pay rise for 2023/2024 and a one-off payment of 2% of their salary. The deal also consists of a Covid recovery bonus of 4% for the current financial year.
Royal Mail Union CANCELS Strike After Threat of LEGAL Action
— The planned Royal Mail strike on the 16th and 17th of February was canceled after the company issued a legal challenge against the union, saying the reasons for the strike were not legal. Union bosses backed down, saying they would not fight the challenge, and consequently called off the planned action.
BIGGEST Strike Day of the Decade Due Tomorrow
— The UK is preparing for the largest strike day of the decade as half a million workers will walk out on Wednesday, 1 February. The strike includes teachers, train drivers, civil servants, bus drivers, and university lecturers as government talks with the unions fell apart.
Nurses AND Ambulance Staff to Strike on the SAME Day
— Nurses and ambulance workers are planning to take strike action together on 6 February, which will be the biggest walkout so far.
Next Strike TWICE as Big Says Nurses Union
— The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned its next strike will be twice as big if progress is not made with negotiations by the end of the month. The union claims the next strike will involve all its members in England.
‘TERRIFYING’: Public Told to Expect 999 Delays as 25,000 Medics go on STRIKE
— The UK public has been told to only dial 999 for “life or limb” emergencies as the ambulance strike causes massive disruption to emergency services. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, labeled the strikes as “terrifying” as he argued for anti-strike legislation to guarantee “minimum safety levels” for the public.
Sunak WILLING to Discuss Pay Rise for Nurses in Bid to End NHS Chaos
— Rishi Sunak has signalled a new willingness to negotiate with the nurses to end the strike that has crippled the NHS this winter. The prime minister said “we are about to start a new pay settlement round for this year,” indicating a new softness towards unions.
Economic SHUTDOWN: Largest Civil Service Union WARNS of Strikes by Doctors and Teachers
— The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has threatened the government with “coordinated and synchronized” strike action by teachers, junior doctors, firefighters, and all other unions that will cripple the economy into the new year.
STRIKES: Thousands of AMBULANCE Workers Strike Over Pay Dispute
— Ambulance workers across the UK have gone on strike over a pay dispute joining their colleagues, NHS nurses, who went on strike last week.
MORE STRIKES: Amazon Workers Join NHS Nurses and a LONG List of Others
— Amazon workers in Coventry have voted to formally strike in a UK first and join nurses who, on Thursday, started the largest strike in NHS history. They join a long list of other workers who have staged strikes this year, including Royal Mail postal workers, train workers, bus drivers, and airport staff, causing widespread disruption across the country before Christmas.
The disruption caused by the strikes has been extensive, particularly during the Christmas period, when there are more deliveries and busier hospitals.
The Amazon warehouse workers in Coventry voted on Friday to take strike action, asking for an hourly pay increase from £10 an hour to £15. They are the first UK Amazon staff to participate in a formal strike.
On Thursday, tens of thousands of nurses went on strike, resulting in 19,000 patient appointments being postponed. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has asked for a 19% pay rise for nurses and has warned more strikes will follow in the new year. Rishi Sunak has said the 19% pay rise is unaffordable but that the government is open to negotiation.
The prime minister is reportedly concerned about the precedent it would set if the government gave into the RCN’s demands, fearing that other sectors would follow suit and ask for similar unaffordable pay rises.
