Workers should be demanding higher wages and not be forced to pay the price of inflation, a union boss has said.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, warned that tens of thousands of people could take part in industrial action across various sectors in protest at company profiteering.
She said employers making a profit from workers should pay them a "proper fair wage" and branded calls to limit pay rises to try to counter inflation as "abhorrent".
Graham took charge of the UK's largest private sector union earlier this year and claimed "ordinary workers have already had a spring, summer, autumn and winter of discontent for years".
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It comes as the UK Government last month warned employees not to expect their wages to rise along with the soaring rate of inflation.
Treasury minister Simon Clarke claimed higher wages would push up the cost of living.
He echoed earlier calls from Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey who warned workers against calling for wage rises.
But such claims have been dismissed by the Unite boss.
Graham said: "Workers are growing in confidence and becoming more assertive.
"Since I was elected, 63,000 Unite members have gone into dispute winning over £50 million.
"There could be hundreds of disputes involving tens of thousands of people over the coming months if workers are made to pay the price for inflation.
"Calls for wage restraint by employers who slashed pay during the pandemic are abhorrent. Ordinary workers have already had a spring, summer, autumn and winter of discontent for years.
"It’s time to stop telling workers to pay the price for inflation and to start demanding an end to excessive profiteering."
In an interview with the BBC, Graham denied that there was a risk of a "Seventies-style" spiral of wages and prices which would prolong the period of very high inflation, instead blaming a rise in profits at big companies.
She said that employers "slashing the pay" of those who worked through the pandemic was "abhorrent".
But business group the CBI said that firms were helping employees and consumers where they could.
A CBI spokesperson said: "With living costs at the highest level in decades, workers are understandably concerned about how they're going to cope with rising prices. Businesses too are being hit by soaring input costs.
"Wherever they can, firms are stepping-up to help by absorbing costs to keep prices down for consumers, as well as supporting their employees to cope with the cost-of-living spike."
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