A nightmare before Christmas faces Rishi Sunak, poorly-paid strikers and the wider public as an avalanche of walkouts continues this week.
Nurses, paramedics, Border Force, driving examiners and DWP staff are all downing tools before Christmas Day, not to mention the railways.
And more dates are to follow - a firefighters’ ballot comes back next month, and many civil servant members of the PCS are still working out when they’ll stage industrial action.
The government have been accused of risking lives by failing to avert the NHS strikes this week - with Health Secretary Steve Barclay still refusing to hold talks on nurses' pay.
Visiting a hospital this morning, Mr Barclay demanded unions “make good on their statements that they will protect those with life-threatening conditions and emergency responses” on Wednesday.
He warned: “That’s what they’ve said publicly, but if for example they only allow staff to respond from the picket line, that will add further delay to the response times which is not in the patients’ interest.”
The Health Secretary said his door was open but refused to reopen talks on pay.
He refused to say if any of his Cabinet colleagues are privately calling for higher pay for nurses.
He told the public “if there’s a need to call an ambulance” people should continue to do so - but warned “there will be impacts on patients”.
No10 said on Monday that it is still not too late for unions to call off a series of planned strikes this week in the NHS and other public services.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We would expect, given this late stage, there to be some sort of disruption either way but it is still in the gift of the unions to step back and reconsider their approach."
They also insisted there were "no plans" for a one-off payment to NHS staff this winter and said reports No10 had blocked the proposal by Mr Barclay were not accurate.
The spokesman added: "I don't think that it is accurate. The Health and Social Care Secretary has been working very closely with the Prime Minister, as you'd expect, as indeed have all relevant secretaries of state, on our approach to these pay demands from unions.
"The whole Government is united in its view that the independent pay review bodies are the right way to set the terms and we have accepted them in full."
But Unite leader Sharon Graham warned Steve Barclay will "have to carry the can if patients suffer" and unions will not "blink first" to break the deadlock. "It's Steve Barclay who is holding the country to ransom," she told The Mirror.
And he was confronted by a mother of a three-year-old girl suffering from cystic fibrosis. Sarah Pinnington-Auld told him: “The doctors, the nurses, everyone on the ward is just brilliant, considering what they're under, considering the shortages of staff, considering the lack of resources.
“And I think for me, that's what's really upsetting actually.
“Because we have a daughter with a life-limiting, a life-shortening condition. And we have some brilliant experts. And they are being worked to the bone."
Tory ministers have arranged to draft in 1,200 troops from the Army, Navy and RAF, plus more than 1,000 civil servants.
The Chancellor the Duchy of Lancaster urged unions to call off action and "give the military a break this Christmas”.
Oliver Dowden said it was “not fair” for soldiers to cover and ministers will be “resolute” in their refusal to budge on pay.
But unions say they've been left with no choice as they stomach yet another real-terms pay cut. And it's a nightmare for their workers too - who sacrifice pay while on the picket.
Labour ’s Stephen Kinnock suggested Rishi Sunak ’s goose is cooked.
The shadow minister said Labour backs sending in the troops - but only because the Tories have left no choice.
He said: “The only true solution to all these issues is a general election ”.
Here are the dates coming up this week.
Monday: Driving examiners in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber begin a six-day walkout, with other regions staggered up until January 10. Traffic and Vehicle Examiners across the DVSA nationally are also striking from yesterday(SUN) until Wednesday.
Monday: DWP staff down tools until December 31 at three Jobcentres in Liverpool and a back office in Doncaster. The union expects it to disrupt some interviews. Only 200 or so staff are affected, but more dates are likely to follow.
Tuesday: NHS nurses in the Royal College of Nursing will stage their second nationwide walkout, after last Thursday’s was the first in its 106-year history. The RCN has set a Friday deadline for ministers to reopen pay talks, or it will announce new, more severe strikes in January.
Wednesday: Paramedics in GMB, Unison and Unite will walk out in most regions of England after more than 10,000 backed strike action. GMB paramedics will also strike on December 28. People are told to call 999 only if there is a danger to life. Troops will cover for ambulance drivers but cannot speed or run red lights.
Thursday: National Highways workers in London and South East down tools. All traffic officer service employees in the region are walking out from December 22-25.
Friday: Royal Mail workers walk out once again for two days in a long-running dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said 115,000 workers are walking out, with images showing post piling up at mail centres. The last posting date for Christmas has already gone.
Friday: Border Force workers who check passports at Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow and Manchester Airports are striking from December 23-26 and December 28-31. Troops are being drafted in but Christmas getaways face long delays.
Saturday: Network Rail workers in the RMT have been told not to work from 6pm on December 24 until 6am on December 27. Disruption will be less than recent strikes but RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has warned services will wind down earlier than usual on Christmas Eve, and people should leave early.
