Why do public services go on strike in the UK?
United Kingdom: schools closed and trains stopped. And more heavy strikes are announced to challenge the Sunak government, which does not seem to want to give in in this long tug of war. Facts, numbers and comments
Yesterday was the day of the great strike in the United Kingdom: around 500,000 public sector workers, from teachers to firefighters, folded their arms against wage stagnation and high inflation, which exceeded 10% and reached highest in the last 40 years.
Such participation in a strike has not been recorded for more than 10 years and the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, risks failing the 100-day test.
WHO GOES ON STRIKE IN THE UK…
Of the approximately 500,000 public sector workers who have decided to cross their arms, according to Reuters and the Guardian , 300,000 are teachers, to which another 100,000 civil servants are said to have joined, including university lecturers, train drivers, security guards and security forces workers. border.
But next week nurses, ambulance personnel, paramedics, emergency callers and other health workers also announced more strikes. And, meanwhile, it is estimated that yesterday 85% of schools in England and Wales were closed and train traffic was only guaranteed for 30%.
… AND WHY
The strikes, says The Washington Post , are not just about wages, but also broader issues of economic fairness and political legitimacy. Indeed, a YouGov survey found a "very strong relationship between support for strikes and the fact that a profession is considered a contribution to the country", as in the case of nurses and ambulance personnel, where years of underfunding have led to the current crisis.
But carers also feel overworked, stagehands undervalued and teachers neglected, as negotiations continue to stall.
In addition, the Trades Union Congress, which represents 48 unions, is organizing more than 75 rallies across the UK to protest against a government bill which it says represents an "attack" on the right to strike as it would tighten laws making it more difficult for workers in key sectors.
In fact, the bill provides for the maintenance of basic service levels among firefighters, ambulance and railway personnel, even in the event of a strike.
WHAT THE BRITISH DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE SUNAK GOVERNMENT
“Once upon a time – reads the Washington Post article – in Great Britain trade union leaders were condemned as greedy and unelected bureaucrats. But Sunak's government suffers from problems of democratic credibility and much more serious allegations of corruption".
Among other things, the assets estimated at 830 million dollars of the prime minister (not elected by the citizens) does not make him an empathic figure in the eyes of an underpaid employee, especially if it excludes raising salaries.
WORKING DAYS LOST
But the Guardian also provides other numbers about the strike in the UK. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 467,000 working days would be lost due to strikes by 197,000 workers in November; unions estimated there would be even more than 1 million in December, making it the worst month for hardship since July 1989.
In September 1979, they were 11.7 million, the highest total ever recorded in a single month.
HOW MUCH THE GREAT STRIKE COST THE ENGLISH ECONOMY
According to the Center for Economics and Business Research , 8 months of strike cost the British economy at least 1.7 billion pounds, adding to the already present recessionary pressures.
The figure equates to around 0.1% of UK GDP projected for the same period, with the whole economy worth around £2.5bn.
HOW ARE THE UNIONS
Even the unions are not doing much better. According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the take-up rate among UK employees in 2021 was 23.1%, the lowest on record.
In January, according to a YouGov poll , 28% of those interviewed said that trade unions play a negative role (in November, 34% thought so), against 34% who believe they have a positive impact (in November, the percentage was 35%).
Additionally, employees earning less than £250 a week or more than £1,000 a week are far less likely to be enrolled than those in the mid-range.
THE NUMBERS OF SALARIES
According to the Resolution Foundation quoted by the Guardian , the increase in real wages, or the value of wages adjusted for inflation, for all workers between 1970 and 2007 was 33%.
As regards, on the other hand, the drop in real terms of public sector wages between 2009 and 2022, according to the analysis of the British newspaper on the ONS data of last July, was 4.3%.
PUBLIC VS PRIVATE
In 2022 the Trades Union Congress estimated the decline in real wages was 3%, the biggest since 1977. Public sector wages are hit hardest, averaging £180 a month down on a year previous.
In the three months to November, private sector wage growth stood at 7.2% before adjusting for inflation, versus 3.3% for the public sector. Against a global inflation rate of 10.7% in January, there was a reduction in real terms for both groups.
THE IMPACT ON THE REAL WORLD
A low-income British household, explains the Guardian , is 22% poorer than its French counterpart (around £3,800 a year) and 21% poorer than its German equivalent.
According to the Resolution Foundation, the annual shortfall in income compared to what workers might have expected if wage growth had continued at pre-financial crisis levels is £9,200.
ESTIMATIONS
For UK ministers, the cost of raising all public sector workers' wages, equivalent to £1,000 per household, would be £28bn. However, according to fact-checking organization Full Fact , this figure does not take into account the amount that would be returned to the public coffers in the form of taxes.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies , an inflation-matching increase from current 2022/23 offers would cost much less, or around £13bn. But the Treasury says reopening the payroll process this year is out of the question.
WHAT DOWNING STREET SAYS
For Downing Street negotiations should continue instead of strikes, but the unions accuse the government of not taking these negotiations seriously.
Sunak's executive, writes Reuters , has taken a hard line against the unions and argues that giving in to calls for steep wage increases would further aggravate the problem of inflation in the United Kingdom.
Indeed, although some minor disputes – mostly in the private sector – have been resolved, the government has so far refused to take a step forward on public sector wages.
"Any action that risks incorporating high prices into our economy will only prolong the pain for everyone and block any prospects for long-term economic growth," said Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt.
IT DOES NOT END HERE
But yesterday's strikes are just the beginning. As the Guardian announces, other union actions, including in the NHS, are planned for the whole of February and March, because from the point of view of the unions the negotiations are "going the other way" and it seems that there is no sign that suggests may the current impasse end soon.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/regno-unito-sciopero-servizi-pubblici/ on Thu, 02 Feb 2023 13:04:35 +0000.