Strike action could take place in almost every job sector in the coming months as the nation continues to be gripped by the cost of living crisis, a leading academic has warned.
Mass walk-outs have already been staged by railway workers, bus drivers, postal workers and barristers in Greater Manchester and the rest of the country, in disputes over pay and working conditions - with more unions understood to be balloting workers.
As the UK inflation rate soared to 9.4pc this week, workers are continuing to vote overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, as unions argue pay offers are failing to offset the cost of living.
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And as the energy price cap is set to rise by another £800 in October, a psychology professor at the University of Manchester predicts that thousands more workers in both the public and private sector will ballot for strike action in the coming weeks and months.
Sir Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology, has warned the current situation - branded by many as the summer of discontent - is likely to cause more disruption than the widespread industrial action seen during the 1970s.
Simultaneous strike action like this has rarely been since the winter of discontent, when thousands of workers revolted against the Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan's attempt to impose a five per cent cap on pay rises to curb inflation in 1978.
It proved to be a catastrophic move which resulted in disputes which went on so long and had such an impact they seem unbelievable today, M.E.N Chief Reporter Neal Keeling wrote last year as he looked back at the era.
"Starting in September 1978 when the Sex Pistols had already snarled and The Clash were practising smart, politically savvy, rock n roll, the dominoes of strikes, rampant inflation and political in-fighting in the Labour party all fell at the same time," he wrote.
"It resulted in empty shelves in supermarkets, a fuel shortage and rubbish on our streets."
Although similar in its manifestation, Prof Cooper says it's important to draw distinctions between the political landscape of the 1970s, describing the situation now as 'much more complicated.'
An unprecedented mandate for strike action
"I think the time is slightly different to the 1970s because there are so many adverse factors at play here," he said. "When we had the strikes before it was partly about inflation and bad industrial relations between unions and management.
"This time it's much more complicated. Complicated by Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the impact on energy prices. It's the cost of living, and I also think general instability in leadership at the moment is a very important psychological factor.
"People are thinking they have to take care themselves and their families and they feel they will have to take action. If we look at the percentage of people voting to take strike action in some cases it is extremely high. It was never this high in the 1970s. We get the manifestation of the 1970s but I think it's a lot worse now and people are probably more prepared to strike."
Railway strikes coordinated by the RMT Union received a backing of 89 per cent from works eligible to vote - leading to the biggest train strike in a generation last month, which saw services across the country largely grind to a halt.
Industrial action coordinated by Aslef members will also take place at the end of the month, and a further RMT walk-out is expected to be staged on July 27 - the day before the Commonwealth Games are due to start, as well as on August 18 and 20.
Speaking after the announcement, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The rail industry and the Government need to understand that this dispute will not simply vanish. They need to get serious about providing an offer on pay which helps deal with the cost-of-living crisis, job security for our members and provides good conditions at work.
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"Recent proposals from Network Rail fell well short on pay and on safety around maintenance work. And the train operating companies have not even made us a pay offer in recent negotiations."
On the buses, a ballot of Arriva drivers saw 96pc of union members vote in favour of strike action, which took place earlier this week - affecting services from Manchester city centre to Wythenshawe and Bolton.
Unions have rejected a proposed rise of 8.5pc from the company, citing soaring inflation and the struggle members are facing to feed their families. Unite the Union and GMB sought to secure an 11.7pc pay rise for staff.
More than 115,000 postal workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) - around 96.7% of the vote - balloted for industrial action after saying they deserved a 'dignified, proper pay rise.'
The CWC described Royal Mail’s initial offering of a 2pc pay rise as a 'serious real-terms wage cut' due to inflation and the effects of the cost of living crisis. The organisation said it had recently offered a 'deal worth up to 5.5pc for CWU grade colleagues.'
'Workers feel a need to take control'
Professor Cooper believes further strike action could be announced by almost every job sector if workers don't see a realistic end to the cost of living crisis or adequate pay rises to support their families.
His comments come after a report revealed that Mancunians experienced a 'real wage' loss of £133 on average in April, as pay packets failed to offset the rising rate of inflation and cost of living. The Centre for Cities Thinktank found that it's the North of England bearing the brunt, particularly in towns and cities in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.
In Manchester, inflation stood at 10.1 per cent in April 2022, compared to 8.8 per cent in London and 9.3 per cent in Oxford. In Wigan, inflation is even higher than in Manchester at 10.4 per cent.
"When people are feeling insecure they feel they need to take control and the only way they feel they can take control is to ensure adequate living standards is to take industrial action - that's the only thing they have in their power," Prof Cooper said.
"They have no control even politically. That's currently in the hands of 130,000 Conservative members. I think we need a general election in this country but it's very unlikely we are going to get one."
Conservative leader hopefuls Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have been warned by voters they must focus on the cost of living if they are to become the next Prime Minister when Boris Johnson steps down. A survey carried out by Ipsos found almost two-thirds of people who voted Conservative in 2019 said the two leadership candidates should be talking about the cost of living.
People in Greater Manchester are already being crippled by soaring food, energy and fuel prices as the number of families turning to foodbanks this summer set to soar across the region.
On the streets of Harpurhey - one of the most deprived areas in the UK - families told the Manchester Evening News they the looming summer break is being viewed with anxiety and dread. Single mum Sharlee Connolly worries the cost of childcare is going to cause further problems for her already strained finances, as her weekly shop has gone up by a third and her electricity has almost doubled.
"I'm a single mum and I'm finding it a lot harder," she said. "I used to put a full tank of petrol in and it would last two weeks, now it's only a week and a half. It's only half a week but it makes a big difference."
A s ummer of discontent
Prof Cooper warns that the combination of adverse factors impacting workers at the moment means that strike action will likely continue until they are addressed. "I'm concerned about people's wellbeing and their ability to ensure their families are safe from a food and housing point of view," he said.
"I think strikes will happen in almost every sector now and they will be quite severe. People will feel strongly about them and they won't be resolved at a very low level. I think they'll likely hold out longer. I don't see any way out of this."
Dr Jonathan Lord, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at Salford Business School, believes the number of working days lost won't rival the strikes of the 1970s but warned more targeted strike action could cause major disruption to public sector services.
"It has been called the summer of discontent which I think it will be when you look at all of the sectors going out on strike or have already taken industrial action," he said.
"The 1970s was the last peak but I don't think the number of days lost will be as high because of the laws in place now which make it harder for workers to strike. I also don't think workers can afford to strike for as long to be honest. Some people don't realise you lose your pay and pension contributions.
"I think instead we will see more targeted strike action now. If you think about the train drivers, they arranged their strikes to coincide with the Queen's jubilee and the Commonwealth Games."
Dr Lord has also warned of a hidden set of workers such as those working in the gig economy who aren't protected by unions amid fears they will not be supported with the cost of living or rising inflation.
The former Chancellor announced a package of support for households in England earlier this year in a bid to help with the cost of soaring prices. Since April, many households in council tax bands A to D should have already have received a £150 rebate from their contributions.
As of the start of July, the National Insurance threshold was raised from £9,880 to £12,570 annually for the whole of the UK. All households across the UK will also receive a £400 discount off their electricity bills from October in the form of a non-repayable grant.
Families on mean tested benefits will receive £650 spread out over two payments, around six million disabled Brits will receive £150 and pensioners who receive the Winter Fuel Payment will receive a £300 payment alongside.
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