A fresh wave of industrial action is taking place on Wednesday, February 1 as disputes over pay continue across multiple industries.
Thousands of rail workers, some of whom have taken part in strikes since summer, will be walking out again next month. It comes as Rail minister Huw Merriman admitted the government has lost more money due to the impact of rail strikes than it would have cost to settle the disputes months ago.
Meanwhile schools, universities and Whitehall will also be hit by strikes on the same day, in what appears set to be the toughest day in a winter of woe for the government. The public has been warned to expect 'significant disruption' on the day. The year may have only just started, but paramedics, nurses and rail workers have already taken part in strike action.
Read more: Ambulance workers announce five more days of strikes over next two months
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re in no doubt that this strike action, some of which will fall on the same day or days, will cause significant disruption to the public – whether it’s children having their education disrupted or the public trying to go about their daily lives on their commute. We don’t think it’s the right course of action, we continue to call unions to step away from the picket lines and continue with discussions.”
A series of meetings of the Cobra emergency committee have already been held to discuss the response to strikes, and more are expected in the lead-up to the February 1 action. “We have seen that we have been able to significantly mitigate against some of the challenges that would have otherwise been posed by some of these strikes,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.
Here are the sectors going on strike on February 1 and the services which will be impacted.
University staff
More than 70,000 staff at 150 universities will be walking out as part of action by the University and College Union (UCU). It will be the first of 18 strikes planned planned in February and March, with the other 17 to be confirmed next week.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady warned that university employers must “get serious and fast” to avoid further strike action.
Teachers
National Education Union (NEU) members are going on strike in schools across England and Wales. The NEU plans to hold seven days of walkouts in total during February and March in a dispute over pay.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said schools could have to shut during industrial action by teachers in England and Wales if “staffing numbers are dangerously low”.
Updated guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) suggests that agency staff and volunteers could be used to cover classes on strike days, with schools expected to remain open where possible, although remote learning is also an option and the most vulnerable pupils are to be given priority.
But Mr Whiteman told PA: “Frankly the guidance provided to headteachers by the DfE yesterday is at best naive. It is based on local disruption rather than the national walkouts planned by the NEU.”
Civil servants
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will also stage a walkout on February 1. Around 100,000 union members across 123 employers will be taking part in the industrial action.
Government ministries, driving test centres, museums, ports and airports will all be impacted.
Rail workers
The latest sector to join this round of strikes, members of two rail unions will be walking out on both Wednesday February 1 and Friday February 3. RMT and Aslef members will be striking, impacting 17 train companies including:
- Avanti West Coast
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- TransPennine Express
- Northern
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- Gatwick Express
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- Great Northern
- London North Eastern Railway
- London Northwestern Railway
Southeastern
Southern
South Western Railway (including Island Line)
Thameslink
West Midlands Railway
During previous strikes, train passengers have been warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary and to expect disruption. They've also been told to check the details of their journey online before setting off.
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