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If you thought the strike actions by nurses, ambulance staff, rail and bus workers were behind us, then think again. After a month of December which saw an unprecedented number of industrial actions many public sector workers from paramedics to nurses – the first such industrial action in decades – as well as driving examiners, border control staff and Royal Mail staff, the new year started with four days of industrial walkouts and picket lines by rail workers.
The strikes will be continuing throughout January as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly preparing tough new laws to limit their effects. Here are all the key dates of industrial action planned for January and February 2023 so far.
Ambulance strikes
Ambulance staff represented by Unison walked out on Wednesday 11 and will walk out again on Monday 23 January .
Services in London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West will be affected.
The January strikes will each last for 24 hours from midnight, Unison has said, and will involve all ambulance employees, not just 999 response crews.
Are you in favour of the ongoing strike actions? Take part in our poll below:
Nursing strikes
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) walked out in December in a dispute over pay and patient safety, and will strike again on two days in January.
The action will take place in England on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 January . In Cornwall the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust which runs the Duchy’s main hospital at Treliske in Truro and St Michael’s Hospital in Hayle and West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will take part in the planned industrial action.
The RCN said: “Patient safety is always paramount. Unlike workers in many other sectors during a strike, some nursing staff continue their work. This is carefully negotiated with employers beforehand to make sure patients are safe.”
There will also walkouts at primary and secondary schools in Scotland, while some Underground workers will go on strike in London too.
Rail workers
There are currently no further rail strikes scheduled. However, the dispute between the unions and rail bosses has not been resolved, meaning more action very possible.
Unions must ballot their members in order to strike, and must give two weeks’ notice ahead of any walkout.
As reported by the i, the RMT already has a mandate to run strikes until the end of May, and the union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, has said another ballot allowing strikes to run until November is a “possibility”.
He is due to meet the rail minister, Network Rail and the train companies on Monday for the next round of talks after deadlock since mid-December.
Royal Mail strikes
While no industrial action is scheduled in 2023 – industrial action by Communication Workers Union members severely disrupted post in the lead up to Christmas – but the dispute between Royal Mail and the CWU shows little sign of reaching a conclusion.
The CWU has warned “further action will take place in 2023”.
Have these strikes impacted you? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments section or take part in the poll above.
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