New strikes in Britain affecting hospitals and trains

The United Kingdom faces new strikes on Thursday that affect both hospitals, where thousands of specialist doctors have stopped working for the first time in ten years, and train stations where drivers are striking again.

The country, facing a serious cost of living crisis, has been witnessing strikes for months in the healthcare, transportation, education, and postal sectors.

Employees are demanding salary increases to cope with declining but still high inflation rates, which stand at 7.9% as of June.

After nurses, ambulance crews, and "junior doctors," it is now the turn of "consultants," meaning the most experienced doctors, to go on strike in English hospitals.

These doctors began a 48-hour strike on Thursday at 7:00 am (6:00 GMT).

Dentists in hospitals also joined them in their strike.

The National Health Service (NHS) is facing significant pressures. After years of austerity measures and the COVID-19 pandemic, access to care has become more challenging.

According to an investigation published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Wednesday, children are waiting up to 18 months for dental treatment requiring anesthesia, including tooth extractions.

The five-day strike by "junior doctors," which ended last Tuesday, resulted in over 100,000 appointments being postponed. The NHS warned that the strike by specialist doctors could cause further disruptions.

In the past eight months of strikes, over 600,000 medical appointments have been affected, according to Stephen Powis, the head of medical services at the NHS.

Powis stated, "It becomes increasingly difficult to get services back on track after each strike."

The government proposed a 6% increase in salaries for specialist doctors for this year.

However, according to the British Medical Association (BMA), this proposal is in line with a real-terms salary reduction.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement, "The door is always open to discussions on non-pay matters, and this proposal is final. I urge the BMA to end its strikes immediately."

On July 13, Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on public sector unions to end strikes and accept the government's final offer of wage increases ranging from 5% to 7% depending on the sectors.

As a result, teachers suspended their action after an offer to increase their salaries by 6.5%.

Train drivers from the RMT union, who have escalated their protests throughout the year, are now on strike as the school holidays begin.

Rail services have warned that on Thursday, July 22, and July 29, "services will be limited or non-existent across a large part of the network."

ASLEF union workers started a strike on July 17, expected to end on Saturday.

Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT to Sky News, said, "These strikes are part of a campaign that has been going on for over a year."

He added that these strikes are affecting trains "from southwest England to Scotland."

He continued, "We are indeed facing difficulties. Employees need to receive acceptable salaries."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP