The main look before Christmas in Britain is not the advent calendar, but the strike calendar sets the pace. There is hardly a day in December when work in some industry is not suspended in protest at low wages and poor conditions. Public life is at a standstill, the strikes are slowing down the country.
You can open the strike calendar at will, something will definitely be found: on Tuesday it will be the clinic staff again, on Wednesday the ambulance drivers will strike. Tourists are also affected: from Friday, border officials will go on strike – until New Year’s Eve there are likely to be long lines at entry and flights likely to be canceled in some cases. From Christmas Eve, hardly any trains run for days and there may also be problems with the Eurostar between London and the EU. Visiting family for a feast without a car should be almost impossible.
Mail comes a maximum of once a week
Example Christmas mail: there have been strikes at Royal Mail for months. Entire streets currently receive mail at most once a week. There are mountains of letters and packages in the depots. Word has recently circulated that Royal Mail managers should recruit family members and friends to help sort through the backlog before Christmas.
chaos in hospitals
But anyone looking for the postman when it froze in recent days had to be careful not to slip on black ice, because the already completely overcrowded control rooms were even thinner than usual. the NHS health service also went on strike. With this they want to make people aware of the catastrophic situation that affects many people: more than seven million people are waiting for routine interventions, emergency room doctors need considerably more time than planned and ambulances are driving backwards for the emergency room.
paved fronts
Opportunity for improvement: none. The fronts are hardened. They hardly talk to each other, which is also due to the deep ideological division. “The unions are stealing Christmas from us,” laments the conservative press. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed: “I am really disappointed that the unions are calling for these strikes, especially at Christmas, especially when it has such an impact on people’s daily lives.” The government regularly emphasizes that there is simply no more money – after the Corona aid.
The government is run by Tory hardliners who want minimal government intervention and preach the virtues of capitalism. The trade unions, on the other hand, are clearly on the side of the opposition Labor Party, which feels the chance of a change of power for the first time in many years. “Household incomes have been fragmented by rising bills and more than a decade of low wages,” Frances O’Grady, head of the TUC, said of her support for the strikes. Responsible for this is the failed Tory policy. The wave of strikes could continue well into the next year.
Serious economic crisis
The fact that the conflict is not easy to solve has to do with the background: Great Britain is in a serious economic crisis. Inflation is at about 11 percent the highest in 40 years, high prices for food and energy are driving millions of people into poverty and food banks can no longer keep up with record-breaking demand. According to a TUC study, real wages will fall by three percent in 2022 – more than at any time since 1977. TUC boss O’Grady speaks of a “disgrace”. The outlook gives little hope: economists expect a long downturn, at least until the end of 2023.
“Brexit” a big mistake?
Britain is not alone with these problems; the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has had serious consequences worldwide. But Britain seems to be hit even harder. This is also due to the ‘Brexit’, experts emphasize. The exchange of goods with the main trading partner, the EU, has collapsed. Skilled labor shortages have worsened without EU labor.
The reality contradicts all the scenarios that the “Brexit” ever envisioned. Food and energy must become cheaper, well-paid jobs must be easier for the British to get. Millions should flow to healthcare instead of Brussels, the “Brexit freedoms” will make the kingdom a trading nation again. Nothing has happened so far, which is one of the reasons why more than half of the population now see leaving the EU as a mistake. Prime Minister Sunak’s government wants nothing to do with it. Her mantra: the troubles were all caused by Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
