In October 2022, the UK lost 417,000 days of work to the most extensive strike action in over a decade. However, this remains lower than the previous peak during the November 2011 industrial action, which lost more than double last year’s figure. Why are strikes increasing across the board in a plethora of industries, why are these issues not being resolved, and what needs to change to settle these disputes?
A strike is a collective refusal by employees to work under the conditions required by employers. These occur for a variety of reasons but typically are over pay and working conditions.
Within corporations exist trade unions, which defend members’ jobs, pay and working conditions. Usually, disputes are settled through negotiations with employers, but when this communication breaks down, workers have the right to collectively withdraw their labour in order to kick-start negotiations again. In the UK, the right to strike is governed by complex and restrictive industrial laws. For a strike to be classed as lawful, at least 40% of the workers must ballot vote in favour of it. Strike conditions must relate to a work dispute with the employer, be supported by a valid secret postal ballot with independent scrutiny, and be carried out with notice.
During the Christmas period, there were a plethora of strikes. From rail, roads and air, to postal services and nurses. Full-scale strikes took place over the government cutting jobs, refusing to increase pay in line with inflation, pensions, job security and redundancy terms. Some unions, such as the Communication Workers Union, which covers Royal Mail, have offered their workers a final pay rise of up to 9% over 18 months to resolve the disruption, which was rejected.
Rejected offers leave unions in further disagreements with not only the government, but also their workers, leading to further disorder in society until issues are resolved.
While the point of striking is to fight for your right as a worker, it is inevitable that disruption is caused. When workers in the public sector strike, such as NHS staff, this has a knock-on effect on others who rely on these services. This is particularly challenging for those who are in need of urgent healthcare. Strike action also results in less productivity, which means reduced profits. While some may argue that it is justifiable to strike, others state that the negative fallout is unnecessary, and could be resolved in a less disruptive manner.
While many of the widespread strikes are disruptive in their own right, members have valid reasons to do so. From September to November 2022, nominal pay rose by 6.4%, but inflation hit an all time high of 11.1%. This means that real pay, which is the value of wages when taking inflation into account, is lower on average now than it was during the 2008 recession.
December saw major disruptions across the board, and the strike drama is still not set to be resolved in some industries. Starting January 11, the Rural Payment Agency continued its spree of NHS strikes, with ambulance workers joining the action. One union official, Dae Robb, suggested that pay and patient safety was the workers’ largest concern. This section of public workers could be the most severely affected, due not only to still clearing the Covid-19 backlog, but also dealing with winter pressures.
The newest NHS England data suggests that the average emergency 999 call time for life-threatening illnesses or injuries is 10 minutes and 57 seconds, with a target of seven minutes. NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “These figures show that the NHS remains under significant pressure – with near record highs of people in hospital who are medically fit to leave, and a high number of beds occupied in hospitals across England.” Real-term pay for these types of workers, including nurses, paramedics and midwives, has fallen by £2,200 on average over the last year, suggesting a drastic underpayment for their hard work.
However, with disorder must come rationality. While strikes can be harmful and disruptive, they are imperative to resolve the widespread distress caused by insufficient workers’ rights, to the workers themselves and to those who require their services. These workers have helped, and continue to help, keep the nation together. Arguments over NHS strikes resonate from disputes over long working hours, underpayments since they started in the profession, and fears over not providing adequate care to their patients. Many agree that NHS strikes are reasonable and necessary, as a result.
In order to resolve the ongoing issue, the problem should be treated at the source. Striking is a political choice in nature, so instead of allowing issues to go unresolved to the point of industrial action, governments must come to the negotiating table and offer fair pay to those whose hard work we applauded in the streets just a few years ago. Instead of offering pay cuts and hiding behind pay review bodies, the government should assist in alleviating the issue, instead of actively blocking deals being made. Cuts to public services leave those in desperate need of care at risk, and also lead workers to question the stability of the public sector’s future which risks a case for privatisation. While the government doesn’t negotiate in the private sector, it should actively participate in conversations with trade unions, instead of attacking them in order for fair pay and working conditions for all.
Image credits: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona via Unsplash