It might be a brand new year but there is no end in sight to the industrial action that has seen strikes called across core public services in the UK including trains staff, nurses, ambulance workers, postal services and more.
With the wider public also facing difficult financial circumstances, how are the strikes affecting their lives and public support for the industrial action? We took to the streets of Cardiff to find out.
When asked whether taking industrial action through striking was a good idea, John Fry who lives near Port Talbot said: "I think personally, there's a place for it but at the moment it's gone too far. We're seeing it making a massive difference on the whole community and the whole of society.
Read more: All the strike dates in January in Wales including rail workers and driving tests
"I understand the pains that people are going through in terms of train drivers et cetera. But I think it's got to the point now where people need to come to the table from both sides to actually talk about it and try and bury the hatchet as it were.
"I predominantly work all over the place, and I travel by train most of the time so I'm actually at the point where I'm establishing a new team and I can't actually go and meet them face to face, I'm having to do it over Teams which is no good."
RMT union members working for National Rail will restart strike action on January 3-4 and January 6-7. The majority of rail services across the Wales and Borders network will be suspended on these four days as Transport for Wales will be unable to operate rail services on Network Rail infrastructure while action is taking place.
Kerry Parry from Cowbridge works in the healthcare sector, and knows first hand what kind of work nurses are faced with on a daily basis. She said: "I do think strikes are the right way to go. However, it's not worked in the past. Will it work this time? I doubt it.
"With the nurse strikes, it's not going to affect the way we care for people because in intensive care units you can't go on strike because you've still got to care for people. However with different industries like trains and things like that I personally don't think it's as important as the NHS because we rely on the NHS, don't we?"
So far, The Royal College of Nursing has announced a new set of strikes in January unless pay negotiations are opened - but only in England. The strikes follow two days of industrial action in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and December 20.
Katie Thomas, who lives just outside of the city of Cardiff said: "We live right by the station so we were going to get the train into Cardiff today but we obviously had to drive, so mildly inconvenient. It took us about forty minutes to drive here."
Matthew Quick travelled into Cardiff this morning from Bridgend, and also experienced a disrupted journey. Discussing whether he thinks it's a good idea for workers to be striking right now, Matthew said: "I think it's fair for whatever it is they're fighting for- I'm going to be honest I'm not 100% sure, but it can be a bit inconvenient to others which is a shame. Like with the trains, we wanted to come in on the train today but we had to get the bus which was weird because we've never taken the bus before."
For some people, the strikes have also had a knock-on effect to the success of some people's businesses in Cardiff city centre. Trader in Cardiff's Indoor Market, at Hatt's Vintage Emporium, Stuart Talbot said: "It's unfortunate. It's not good for the shoppers and commuters.
"It's very inconvenient but I'm sure they feel they've got righteous cause so I just think we're going to have deal with it as it is at the moment and see how it pans out... the amount of public that are actually coming into the city now is a lot less but I don't think it's just the rail strikes. I think there are other things impacting on that as well but it just doesn't make it any better anyway."
Lynette Ford, who is also a trader at Cardiff's indoor market is taking a step-by-step approach to the strikes being carried out this month. She said: "Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.
"At the end of the day, nurses are very valuable and due to the shortages right now it's a terrible state of affairs. They're working double fold compared to what they usually would do... So I'm absolutely gutted for them.
"People are saying it's all part and parcel of it being privatised. A lot of nurses are walking out because it is just too much for them so with half of the staff missing what are they supposed to do?
"I feel sorry as well for people who are having to go in and wait hours and hours to be seen too. It's a terrible state of affairs- really really sad. I'm sure the public would pay a couple of pounds a week in order for them to have a pay rise that they deserve."
Visiting from Greece, Sharon Bettis who was originally born in Cardiff also shared how she felt about the concept of striking as someone who is currently visiting her home city for 10 days. She said: "I feel for the people who have difficulties getting backwards and forwards to work. I do feel for them.
"I understand that the workers have their rights and need to fight hard to get better conditions. It's difficult for everyone."
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