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DailyExpertNews
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The British government is looking into the military’s commitment to softening industrial action and keeping public services running, the chairman of the ruling Conservative Party said on Sunday, after a spate of strikes sparked by a crisis in the cost of living and a slipping economy. economy. in recession.
The action will include border controls and state-run healthcare, as key workers, including nurses and ambulance drivers, go on strike.
“Our message to the unions is to say: this is not the time to strike, this is the time to try to negotiate. But if not, it’s important for the government, it’s the right and responsible thing to do, to have contingency plans,” Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News.
“We are looking at the military, we are looking at a specialized response force […] to deal with the unfortunate circumstance when you have a border force strike,” Zahawi added.
“Of course, in things like running ambulances, other parts of the public sector, we should try to keep disruption to a minimum,” Zahawi said in response to a question about strikes at Britain’s National Health Service.
Strikes have swept the UK this year as workers grapple with a worsening cost-of-living crisis and an economy sliding into recession. DailyExpertNews Business previously reported that wages were stagnant and not keeping pace with inflation, now at their highest level in 41 years, paving the way for employer-employee clashes.
These clashes have already caused widespread disruption, including train traffic, and are now spreading to even more sectors, such as education, healthcare and security.
More than 70,000 university workers went on strike at 150 UK universities on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 over wages, benefits and pensions.
The strike was the largest in the history of British higher education, affecting more than 2.5 million students, according to the University and College Union, which organized the strike.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 356,000 days were lost to strikes in August, not far from the previous record set in July 2014 when 386,000 days were lost. That number dropped to 205,000 in September.
The disruption continued into the winter months, with RMT, Britain’s largest transport union, announcing four 48-hour strikes in December and January.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU), representing striking postal workers, announced additional strikes on December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24, which could jeopardize Christmas deliveries.