It's hard to give an adequate summary of just how much labor strife is currently ongoing in the United Kingdom. To give you an idea, however: for every day of this month but one there has been a substantial strike somewhere in the country–and for most of 2023 the story has been the same. They're coming from every industry, and the vast majority are driven by out of control inflation, lack of pay, and a general sense of dismal economic conditions.
Civil service unions, however, are by far feeling the desperation needed to strike the most. In the case of teachers, who are the majority of today's strikers, those walls have felt like they're closing in for years.
In a piece earlier this year for Tribune written by Taj Ali, it was noted that:
In real terms, teachers’ pay has declined by more than 20 percent in the past decade. A survey by the National Education Union (NEU) last year found that nearly half of teachers plan on quitting within five years. It’s a vicious cycle, with shortages increasing the workloads of those who remain.
Support staff for teachers experience similar problems; bad pay, increased workloads, and standards which feel impossible to meet. Collectively there are shortages of both, and for teachers and support staff the cost of living crisis has been disastrous. Says Kiera, a person Ali profiled in the piece: “I have colleagues who are single mams and are regularly in their overdraft or using their credit card by the end of the month. I worry about money more than I ever have before, and am constantly budgeting and rebudgeting and editing my spreadsheet with my finances in, trying to find extra ways to save here.”
So it's no surprise that support staff and teachers have become one of the leading groups on strike in the country, particularly as inflation continues to wreak havoc. In February the first national teacher's strike in seven years took place, and thus far the government's response to it has been completely unserious. In negotiations with the other major UK education union earlier this year, NASUWT, the government went so far as to allow just six days of negotiation–not exactly a commitment to hearing the concerns of workers out. That has reflected in what they've offered strikers here, evidently. Says The Guardian on the latest proposal to the teachers as they walk out today:
The government has offered teachers in England a one-off payment of £1,000 and a 4.3% pay rise, and the starting salary for teachers in England is due to rise to £30,000 a year by September. All four teaching unions [NEU, NASUWT, Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), and National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)] have rejected this offer[...]
Without a deal between them, this means another strike day is to occur on May 2; and three more are in the pipeline, having been approved earlier this year. Those strike days are likely to take place at the end of June or beginning of July, say the NEU.
A few other strikes of note in the past few days and in the days to come: a nurse's strike that the government is trying to halt in court; strikes in the rail unions; and strikes at Heathrow, among others.
