London
CNN
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The chairman of the ruling Conservative Party said the British Government was considering bringing in the army to reduce industrial activity and keep public services running, following a wave of strikes due to the cost of living crisis and economy. fall into recession.
This action includes border control and state-run health care services, if 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 and negotiate. But in the absence of that, it’s important for the government that it’s the right and responsible thing to do to have contingency plans in place,” Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News.
“We are looking at the military, we are looking at a professional response force […] to be able to deal with in the unfortunate event if you have a border force attack,” added Mr Zahawi.
“Of course, in things like driving ambulances, other parts of the public sector, we have to try to minimize disruption,” said Zahawi.
strike yes sweep the UK this year, as workers grapple with a worsening cost of living crisis and the economy slides into recession. CNN Business previously reported that wages have stagnated and haven’t kept up with inflation, now at a 41-year high, setting the stage for clashes between employers and workers.
Those conflicts have caused widespread disruption, including to train travel, and are now spreading to more areas, such as education, health and security.
More than 70,000 university staff went on strike over wages, working conditions and pensions on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 at 150 universities across the UK.
The strike is the largest in British higher education history, affecting more than 2.5 million students, according to the Association of Universities and Colleges, which organized the strike.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 356,000 days were lost due to strikes in August, not far from the previous high recorded in July 2014, when 386,000 days were lost. That number fell to 205,000 in September.
The disruption has continued through the fall, with several public service unions set to take strike action or vote for their members on pay. Ambulance staff and nurses in the NHS will go on strike this month while junior doctors will vote on whether to take industrial action.
RMT, Britain’s largest transport union, announced in November that there would be four 48-hour strikes in December and January.
The Communications Workers Union (CWU), which represents striking postal workers, has announced additional strikes on December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24, which have could jeopardize Christmas deliveries.
