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This summer has seen the most significant period of industrial action of the century unfold, with workers across the UK pushing for better pay amid a worsening cost of living crisis.
An eight-day action at the UK’s biggest container port began yesterday, as around 1,900 members of Unite at Felixstowe walked out, in the first strike to hit the port since 1989.
It is the latest outbreak of industrial action to hit a growing number of sectors of the economy.
Here’s what you need to know about what lies ahead.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail workers will go on strike on four days in August and September in a dispute over pay.
The action is organised by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), and involves some 115,000 employees.
Royal Mail said the union had rejected a pay rise offer “worth up to 5.5 per cent” after three months of talks.
Royal Mail staff plan to strike on:
- Friday 26 August
- Wednesday 31 August
- Thursday 8 September
- Friday 9 September
On days when strike action is taking place, Royal Mail says it will:
- Deliver as many special delivery and tracked 24 parcels as possible
- Prioritise the delivery of Covid test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible
- Not be delivering letters (with the exception of special delivery)
Barristers
Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted in favour of an all-out strike from 5 September.
Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have already been walking out on alternate weeks, and have since agreed to an indefinite, uninterrupted strike next month, meaning virtually all criminal court cases will be unable to proceed.
Barristers voted 80 per cent in favour of escalating their action in their long-running dispute with the government over legal aid fees.
According to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted a result of the dispute.
Criminal barristers are due to receive a 15 per cent fee rise from the end of September, meaning they will earn 7,000 more per year.
But there has been anger that the proposed pay rise will not be made effective immediately and will only apply to new cases, not those already sitting in the backlog waiting to be dealt with by courts.
Buses
There is a strike planned in the capital over the August bank holiday on buses operated by London United. It comes after drivers were offered a pay increase of 3.6 per cent in 2022 and 4.2 per cent next year – well below inflation.
While most of the bus network will be operating, there will be disruption on some routes through west and south west London, and parts of Surrey.
The following routes will be affected: 9, 18, 33, 49, 65, 70, 71, 72, 85, 94, 105, 110, 116, 117, 148, 203, 211, 216, 220, 223, 224, 235, 258, 265, 266, 272, 281, 283, 290, 293, 371, 404, 406, 411, 418, 419, 423, 440, 465, 467, 470, 481, C1, E1, E3, H17, H22, H32, H37, H91, H98, K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S3, N9, N18, N33, N65, N72, N266 and S3.
Services will run as normal on the night of Saturday 27 August until approximately 5am on Sunday 28 August, resuming in full from 6am on Tuesday 30 August.
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Refuse collection
Refuse collection workers are also set to strike again over pay later this month.
The GMB said its members in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will walk out on 31 August and the stoppage will continue until employers Serco make an improved pay offer.
The union said a 6 per cent offer has been rejected by members, adding that rates of pay in the borough are below those in neighbouring authorities.
GMB members working as refuse collectors have taken more than 100 days of strike action in recent months over pay, mainly across southern England.
Rail services
Action on the rail network has caused travel chaos all summer, with unions locked in a long-running disputes with Network Rail over pay and working conditions.
Union leaders have criticised the company’s “paltry” offers, arguing for a wage increase in line with inflation.
Members of RMT, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and Unite walked out for 24 hours on Saturday, affecting services across the country.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, recently urged RMT’s leader, Mick Lynch, to put Network Rail’s latest 8 per cent offer to workers for a vote.
Mr Lynch rejected Mr Shapps’ suggestion that his members would agree to the current offer if it were presented to them.
RMT is yet to announce additional strike plans. Before doing so, they must first ballot their members, who decide whether or not to walk out by majority rule.
After they have received confirmation, the union can schedule action two weeks after an announcement.
Ryanair
Spanish workers employed by Ryanair are walking out every Monday and Tuesday for five months, until 7 January 2023.
The two unions representing the staff said they were demanding a “change of attitude from the airline”, with reports that some cabin crew are being paid as little as €300 per month.
The strikes come as the CEO of Ryanair warned that disruptions to air travel could last until next summer, largely due to air traffic control delays.
You can use Ryanair’s flight tracker to check on the status of upcoming services
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