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Britain has entered a summer of discontent. Amid inflation levels not seen in decades, workers across the land are taking matters into their own hands with the only tool they have: the withdrawal of labour.
Depending on which measure you use, inflation is at between 7.9 and 11.7 per cent – meaning this is how much more expensive it costs to live right now compared to last year. Few employers are offering their staff pay rises that match those figures – hence the strikes.
Workers from the Post Office, the courts, and the railways have all taken industrial action in recent weeks. And there are warnings that nurses and doctors could follow, along with Royal Mail staff.
Read more – Train strikes: National Rail explains refund rights to passengers
Let’s take a look at all the strikes we know of.
UK strikes summer 2022
Rail workers
- When? June 21, 23, and 25, possibly more to follow
- Who? Workers from Network Rail and 13 of the 15 rail companies in the UK – all part of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union (RMT)
- Why? RMT members rejected a pay rise of two per cent (or three per cent if they were to accept job cuts).
London Underground workers
- When? June 21, with more likely to follow after RMT members voted to strike again
- Who? London Underground workers (though generally not drivers, since they tend to join Aslef)
- Why? Transport for London is aiming to cut jobs, while the RMT claims it also wants to cut pensions. TfL is working under very strict affordability criteria set by the government
London Tram drivers
Post Office workers
- When? July 11
- Who? Members of the Communication Workers Union who work at the 114 Crown Post Offices – those run directly by the Post Office
- Why? Pay. The CWU has rejected a three per cent pay rise and £500 lump sum, which comes after a pay freeze last year.
Royal Mail workers
- When? The strike action is being voted on now; a result is expected on July 19
- Who? 115,000 Royal Mail workers, who are also part of the CWU
- Why? Pay. Royal Mail claim it has offered its staff a 5.5 per cent pay rise this year; the CWU says the offer was actually two per cent.
Criminal barristers
- When? 27-28 June, increasing by one day each week until a five-day walkout from July 18-22
- Who? Members of the Criminal Bar Association at the Old Bailey, as well as at Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol Crown Courts.
- Why? The CBA claims its members are not paid well considering the amount of overtime and unpaid work they must do to complete cases and ensure justice is served; junior barristers in particular earn substantially less than the UK average wage. It has therefore rejected a 15 per cent pay rise which would only come into effect at the end of next year.
NHS workers
- When? TBC
- Who? TBC
- Why? No strikes are yet confirmed, but health unions and trade bodies are warning that industrial action could soon come if pay rises are not in line with inflation. The British Medical Association, the union for doctors, is requesting a 30 per cent pay rise over five years. The government, however, is more likely to hand NHS staff a pay rise for the year of between three and five per cent.
Teachers
- When? The autumn (TBC)
- Who? Members of the National Education Union
- Why? Pay. The NEU is asking for an above-inflation pay rise, after teachers’ pay has decreased 20 per cent in real terms since 2010. The government plans to offer a three per cent pay rise.
British Airways workers
- When? July (TBC)
- Who? 700 British Airways ground staff working at Heathrow airport, terminals three and five, who are part of the GMB and Unite unions
- Why? BA cut the wages of its workers by 10 per cent during the pandemic and has not yet restored wages to where they were before. It has offered staff a one-off bonus of 10 per cent of their salaries this year, but refuses to restore salaries to where they were before the pandemic.
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