Related Articles
More than 2.4million working days were lost to strikes last year, the most since the tally of 4.1million in 1989 when Margaret Thatcher was in power.
In December alone an estimated 843,000 days were lost – the highest since 997,000 in November 2011, revealed the Office for National Statistics.
Rolling industrial action by thousands of rail, NHS and Royal Mail workers has pushed up the numbers.
‘Transport and communications remained the most heavily affected area, but in December there was also a large contribution from the health sector,’ ONS director of economic statistics Darren Morgan said.
Many disputes have continued into this year as inflation continues to outstrip increases in pay.
The ONS said annual regular wage growth for all workers – excluding bonuses – reached 6.7 per cent over the three months to December.
More: News
But once consumer prices index inflation is taken into account, regular pay fell by 3.6 per cent in the period.
The figures were released as ministers come under mounting pressure to increase public sector pay, with a renewed wave of strikes expected over the coming months.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak says giving in to wage demands will push up inflation even more in a vicious cycle.
But TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: ‘It is little surprise that workers are having to take strike action to defend their living standards. They have been pushed to breaking point.’
70,000 university staff join rally
University staff and civil servants went on strike yesterday in a row over pay, pensions and working conditions.
More than 70,000 members of the University and College Union joined picket lines outside campuses in the first of three days of action affecting thousands of students at 150 universities.
Pay talks are underway after the UCU rejected a rise of five to eight per cent but the union warned more strikes may follow.
Meanwhile, around 100 members of the Public and Commercial Services union at the British Museum walked out. PCS staff at the Department for Work and Pensions, DVLA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency are also on strike this week.
