The week that begins today in the United Kingdom is being described as the most disruptive week due to strikes
London, Thanasis Gavos
The week that begins today in the United Kingdom is being described as the most disruptive week due to strikes.
Driving examiners are on strike from Monday to Friday, while the second 24-hour strike by NHS nursing staff (excluding Scotland) takes place on Tuesday.
Next up on Wednesday are the ambulance crews in England and Wales and on Thursday the national road network workers.
Friday marks the start of the first four-day strike by border guards who check travel documents at airports and ports, as well as a new 48-hour strike by postal workers.
On Christmas Eve, bus drivers are on strike in some regions of the country, while on the same day another strike by railway workers begins, which will last until the 29th of the month.
The government is particularly concerned about strikes by nurses and ambulance staff, with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay taking unions to task for ensuring adequate staffing for emergencies.
The unions, for their part, accuse the government of “intransigence”, as it refuses to discuss demands for higher increases amid inflation hovering around 11%.
The armed forces are ready to fill the positions of ambulance drivers, with soldiers having been trained recently.
Fears of major inconvenience at airports
The activation of the army has also been advanced by the government to cover the vacancies at the document control points at the country’s major airports that will be affected by the strike on Christmas days. These airports are Heathrow and Gatwick, serving London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.
According to the Times, plans to deal with the disruption that will be caused at these airports include keeping arriving passengers on planes long enough to avoid overcrowding in arrivals halls.
There are also fears that waiting in queues inside arrival halls until passport control could last for more than two hours.
In addition to the first strike action from 23 to 26 December, travel document controllers will also strike at the same airports from 28 to 31 December.
In this eight-day period, it is estimated that more than 10,000 flights with approximately 2 million passengers will land at the affected airports.
During the day, the Cobra emergency committee meets in Downing Street to study the impact of the strikes and how they can be mitigated.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
