Workforce | Everyone is striking!

It is no wonder that the content of our last few posts has all been about the ever-changing world and the “never normal”. The continuing chaos politically, economically, internationally, and from public health perspective are having a continuing impact on all levels of society that hasn't been seen in recent times.

Time will tell whether Rishi Sunak’s new leadership can do anything to address some of these issues in the UK. Whatever occurs in the Autumn financial statement (fundamentally, the budget) there is no doubt in the coming weeks that the ongoing economic crisis will mean a tightening of public purse strings. With financial pressures from energy prices, also on private business, being added to inflationary anxieties on workers, there is a feeling that perhaps we could be drifting toward another “winter of discontent”.

We have already seen, and expect further, strikes on the railways with industrial action from the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT), and the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) unions. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have instigated strikes within the postal service and there have been warnings to brace for a synchronised wave of walkouts across many industries. There are strike ballots planned this autumn, with a view for disruption this winter, for nurses, health workers, ambulance workers, and civil servants to name a few. The National Association of Head Teachers are examining possibilities of action in a row over pay and funding, a first in 125 years. And, significantly for many, thousands of pubs across London and the South East are in danger of running out of beer as drivers supplying major brewers are set to go on strike.

Whether you agree or disagree with the reasons for action, and whether or not you work in these industries, there may be knock-on effects from them.