Sunak vows to get tough on strikes

As the December strike chaos intensifies, Rishi Sunak insisted at PMQs today that he is “working on new tough laws to protect people from the disruption.”

Sunak’s attempt at halting the strikes comes as ministers held talks today about calling in the army to drive ambulances after unions confirmed the first nationwide strike action by paramedics in over three decades. 

More than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine trusts in England and Wales will stage a walk out on 21 and 28 December in a dispute over pay. While ambulance services will still attend to “life threatening calls” on strike days, Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, has warned that they may not respond to categories including falls. 

Sir Keir Starmer grilled Sunak over the government’s failure to put an end to the chaos this afternoon, urging him to “stop sitting on his hands and get round the negotiating table.”

The Labour leader was also quick to remind the PM that even his own Transport Secretary has admitted that the government’s only “tough law” to date – the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill – is “not a solution to dealing with the industrial action we see at the moment.” 

Indeed, because of the amount of time the legislation would take to progress through Parliament, this bill – which would require a minimum rail service to be provided even on strike days – won’t come into force until 2023. And certainly not in time for Christmas. 

The UK will be impacted by strikes every day this month in the run-up to Christmas, as rail workers, teachers, postal staff, a wide range of NHS staff and, as of today, border force staff too all take to the picket line, in the biggest wave of industrial action Britain has faced since the 1980s.  

These disputes all have the same root cause: inflation is now running at over 11 per cent, and public sector workers want inflation-busting pay rises to combat the cost-of-living crisis. 

The government insists these demands are unrealistic, and that those striking are “out of step” with the woeful economic situation facing Britain. Yet, after more than a decade of wage stagnation, public sector workers appear emboldened. 

But will they have to back down eventually?

This year’s wave of industrial disputes has already led to some wins for workers – but few and far between. BT bosses have awarded two pay rises, amounting to an average 9 per cent increase for 100,000 members of staff, in an effort to stave off the first strike in 35 years. Additionally, 2,000 Metroline bus drivers suspended planned industrial action after accepting an improved pay offer. 

However, the likelihood of the government making any firm commitments on pay across the board are slim – and made even slimmer by the fact that the Labour party appears unwilling to do so either.

While Labour insists it would have been far more proactive in negotiating with unions, Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, has also said that inflation-matching pay rises across the public sector are “unaffordable.”

The widespread industrial action appears to be dividing public opinion. Recent polls indicate that between 50 and 60 per cent of Brits support the strikes. Yet the majority also believe the pay awards which unions are demanding are too large. 

As the action starts to seriously disrupt Christmas festivities, the strength of public support could be tested to breaking point.

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