Downing Street Urges UK Public Sector Unions to Call Off ‘Unnecessary’ Strikes

RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, speaks at a rally outside Kings Cross station, London, on June 25, 2022. Dominic Lipinski/PA Media

The UK government has urged public sector unions to call off their “unnecessary” industrial action and return to the negotiating table.

Raising concerns over the damage multiple strikes would cause as Christmas approaches, Downing Street urged the unions to consider the impact on the public before pressing ahead with further strike action.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said on Dec. 1: “We are concerned about the impact strikes by multiple unions will have on the people of this country as we head into the Christmas period.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking at the annual Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall in central London on Nov. 28, 2022. Belinda Jiao/PA Media

“We recognise that these are challenging economic times but public sector pay awards must be affordable for the taxpayer.

“We want them to keep engaging with employers, to keep talking so that we can come up with a resolution and put an end to some of this unnecessary strike action.”

Multiple Strikes

It follows the announcement this week that ambulance workers in three unions have voted to strike over pay and concerns about staffing levels. The Royal College of Nursing is also staging two strikes this month.

The GMB union, which represents some of the ambulance staff concerned, said it would seek “maximum impact” by coordinating with other unions.

GMB national secretary Andy Prendergast told Sky News that public sector workers were fed up with being “talked down to” by ministers who refused to listen to their concerns.

“They have to start listening. This is an issue that affects every single person in Britain,” he said.

Lecturers on the picket line outside King's College London, in London, on Nov. 24, 2022. Stefan Rousseau/PA Media

Meanwhile, members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have rejected a 5 percent pay offer and will start voting on industrial action on Dec. 5, with the result due in the New Year.

The Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union said it will stage a series of 48-hour strikes in December and January, causing disruptions during the festive season.

If the around 40,000 RMT members go ahead with the plan, they will be the biggest strikes on the railways for more than three decades.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has rejected Royal Mail’s “final” offer and is pressing ahead with a series of strikes in the coming weeks.

Since last week, around 70,000 members of the University and College Union (UCU) have gone on strike for three days. It was the biggest strike of its kind, affecting an estimated 2.5 million students.

Meanwhile, teachers across Scotland walked out in their first national pay strike in almost 40 years, shutting every school on the Scottish mainland.

Commuters at Euston Station after RMT train strikes brought rail networks to a standstill, in London, on Aug. 20, 2022. Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Businesses Impacted

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested that 13 percent of British companies think they were affected by industrial action during October, with train strikes likely impacting companies the most.

The most impacted businesses were those in the sector titled “wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.” More than 18 percent of these companies said they were impacted.

Accommodation and food companies were the second worst hit by the strikes, according to the survey.

In the House of Commons on Dec. 1, Transport Minister Huw Merriman appealed to the rail unions to call off their action over the Christmas period, warning of the impact of fresh stoppages on businesses as well as families hoping to get together.

He said: “I am particularly concerned about the month of December, the impact it will have on the economy. There are a series of strikes which will cover a four-week period over Christmas.

“It’s not just the strikes, but the unofficial action, which can have the exact same ramifications as a strike day.”

In addition to striking on Dec. 13, 14, 16, and 17 and on Jan. 3, 4, 6, and 7, the RMT will also implement an overtime ban across the railways from Dec. 18 until Jan. 2.

Merriman said: “So I would urge everybody to think what more they can do in the spirit of compromise, it is Christmas. I would urge settlement.”

“It is still possible for the unions to take the strike action down so that people can get to see their loved ones across the country, businesses can reopen and recover after the terrible time that they have had,” he said.

“December for many companies is their time, it’s make or break time, if they don’t get a December in they may not see January.”

The minister urged all involved to “think of this in an altruistic manner.”

“We will certainly do that on our side of the fence. We need the trade unions, who ultimately are the ones who can call the strike off or action it, we need them to take the strikes down,” he said.

PA Media contributed to this report.