Due to the massive strike wave in Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has waived the traditional Christmas speech. Instead, he surprised several government employees with personal calls, according to Downing Street.
According to the government, Sunak was on the phone with diplomats in Somalia, Pakistan and Ukraine, as well as the head of a government-sponsored charity in London. The Prime Minister also called the crew of the icebreaker “HMS Protector”, which is currently on duty around the South Sandwich Islands off Antarctica and supplies scientists there, among other things.
Another thank you from Sunak went out to the entire workforce. “To all the Brits working over Christmas, thank you. Whether you’re in Mogadishu or Milton Keynes, I am personally grateful for your service,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted on Saturday. According to commentators, he wanted to make clear the great value he attaches to public service. However, the unions accuse the government of refusing appropriate wage increases.
Not for all mail
Christmas has been overshadowed by numerous strikes across Britain this year. For example, many people have not received Christmas mail or parcels on Saturday because Royal Mail employees have repeatedly stopped for weeks. In addition, strikes on the railways and among border officials make it difficult to visit relatives. Thousands of employees of route manager Network Rail wanted to walk off their jobs on Saturday evening to demand higher wages and better working conditions. Train traffic should be largely at a standstill in the afternoon.
The fronts in the wage dispute have hardened. The strike called by the RMT union is not expected to end until December 27. Repair work still needs to be done. There have also been strikes at several airports since Friday, including London Heathrow and Gatwick. In some cases, military personnel took over passport controls. Still, long queues upon entry were warned. This strike is expected to last until New Year’s Eve.
Repeated strikes are also taking place in many other sectors, for example in healthcare.
Source: Krone
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