Many industries and professions have gone on strike this winter as the cost of living crisis has impacted many people's incomes.
Rail workers, border force, nurses, ambulance staff and postal staff, who all worked through the pandemic, have all gone on strike over the holiday period after disputes over pay. This has caused disruption in many areas of the country.
Striking workers across the country have all said they regret the strikes, but feel they are necessary for their members to be paid the full value of their work, particularly as inflation rises to record highs.
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Ahead of the first day of nurses strikes, the General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Pat Cullen, said: "Nurses are not relishing this, we are acting with a very heavy heart. It has been a difficult decision taken by hundreds of thousands who begin to remove their labour from tomorrow in a bid to be heard, recognised and valued.
"It is a tragic first for nursing, the RCN and the NHS. Nursing staff on picket lines is a sign of failure on the part of governments. Our commitment to patients and safe care means that vital services are kept running. The scaremongering we have seen did upset some but also demonstrated the disrespect afforded to nurses for raising their voice.
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"My plea to patients tonight is to know that this strike is for you too – it’s about waiting lists, treatments that are cancelled year-round and the very future of the NHS."
Other unions shared similar sentiments. The CWU said postal workers were facing an "outright assault on their livelihoods and dignity" while the RMT said the government's actions meant there was "no incentive to settle the dispute".
The government, as well as Royal Mail and Network Rail have all said they cannot afford to increase pay at this time. In November, Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, said: “This response from the RMT to a significantly enhanced offer exposes their true priority - using the British public and Network Rail workers as pawns in a fight with the government."
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