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As families getting ready for Christmas this week could see their plans hit by another round of strike action as unions are planning further walkouts. Members of unions, including railway workers and Royal Mail staff, will be walking out in disputes over pay and conditions, that are sure to affect families in the countdown to Christmas.
In the coming days, nurses, ambulance staff, driving examiners, highway workers and border force workers will all be striking. Tory ministers have arranged to draft in 1,200 troops from the Army, Navy and RAF, plus more than 1,000 civil servants to help plug gaps caused by border force staff going on strike. But the Government has urged unions to call off action and “give the military a break this Christmas”.
However, unions say they’ve been left with no choice as they say workers are facing another real-terms pay cut. Here are the dates coming up this week, with the current planned strikers.
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Monday, December 19
DWP staff announce they plan to down tools until December 31 at three Jobcentres in Liverpool and a back office in Doncaster. The union expects it to disrupt some interviews. Only 200 or so staff are affected, but more dates are likely to follow.
Tuesday, December 20
NHS nurses in the Royal College of Nursing will stage their second nationwide walkout, after last Thursday’s was the first in its 106-year history. The RCN has set a Friday deadline for ministers to reopen pay talks, or it will announce new, more severe strikes in January.
Wednesday, December 21
Paramedics in GMB, Unison and Unite are set to walk out in most regions of England after more than 10,000 backed strike action. GMB paramedics will also strike on December 28. People are told to call 999 only if there is a danger to life. Troops will cover for ambulance drivers but cannot speed or run red lights.
Thursday, December 22
National Highways workers in London and South East are set to down tools. All traffic officer service employees in the region are walking out from December 22 to 25.
Friday, December 23
Royal Mail workers are set to walk out once again for two days in a long-running dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said 115,000 workers are walking out.
Border Force workers who check passports at Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow and Manchester Airports announced walkouts between December 23 and 26 and December 28 and 31. Troops are being drafted in but Christmas getaways may face long delays.
Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)
Network Rail workers in the RMT have been told not to work from 6pm on December 24 until 6am on December 27. Disruption will be less than recent strikes but RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has warned services will wind down earlier than usual on Christmas Eve, and people should leave early.
Speaking last week to Sky News, Mr Lynch said: “Resolutions to disputes are about compromises. We understand what the companies want and they understand what we need.
“So we need some compromise on some of the conditions they’re putting on the offer. And we’ll need an improvement in the payoff. But that is achievable in my view and in the view of my negotiating team.”
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