The Government is facing a fresh round of strikes over the coming months and backlash over its claims that workers should become more productive before they get pay rises.
Many unions have criticised the recommendation to offer public sector workers a pay rise close to the rate of inflation.
But No 10 has said that “for pay awards to go beyond inflation, they will have to be met by productivity improvements” and that any greater increase at present would require budget cuts.
“The Chancellor has made very clear when it comes to public sector pay, departments will have to live within their means. Real terms pay increases are only sustainable if they are matched by productivity gains,” a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said.
Other workers in the police and transport sectors are also set to strike due to changes to their working arrangements, which could affect service delivery.
Here is how the NHS, schools, police and trains could be hit by strike action:
NHS
While there are currently no nationwide strikes planned in the NHS, unions have warned that more could come unless the Government improves its pay offer.
It comes after the Government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay increase next year for millions of public sector workers, including NHS staff.
The offer is only slightly above the predicted average inflation rate for next year, which is forecast to be 2.6 per cent.
Responding to the news earlier this week, the British Medical Association (BMA) warned that there was a “very real risk” of further strikes if the “pay erosion” in the health service was remedied.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has also hinted at future strike action, with the union’s general secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger, calling the pay offer “deeply offensive” and criticising No 10’s suggestions that the NHS should find efficiencies before seeking more pay rise.
“Fair pay must be matched by structural reform. Let’s open direct talks now and avoid further escalation to disputes and ballots,” she said.
The pay offer, which would apply from April 2025, will now be considered by the public sector review body before it is finalised.
Schools
From September, teachers at schools and academies were given a 5.5 per cent pay rise, which the National Education Union (NEU) called a “welcome step in the right direction”.
They will also receive a 2.8 per cent pay rise from April 2025 in line with other public sector workers.
The NEU has criticised this latest pay increase, claiming it “falls well short of the urgent action need” and “will only deepen the crisis in education”.
“We need an above-inflation increase as part of a series of urgent steps to achieve the major pay correction needed to restore the pay lost and tackle teacher shortages,” Daniel Kebede, the union’s general secretary, said.
Teachers held several rounds of strikes across 2023 and 2024 ahead of the Government agreeing to the 5.5 per cent pay award, and Kebede warned that more strikes could come if the pay offer for next year was not improved.
“We are putting the Government on notice. Our members care deeply about education and feel the depth of the crisis. This won’t do,” he continued.
The 5.5 per cent pay increase from September did not apply to teachers at sixth form colleges that have not converted to academies.
Around 2,000 NEU members across 32 sixth form colleges have walked out in recent weeks, and further strikes are scheduled for 13 December and 7, 8 and 9 January
The NEU says these strikes will go ahead “unless the Government takes immediate steps to guarantee the same above-inflation pay award to all teachers”.
Police
Police officers in the UK are not legally permitted to strike, but civilian staff working for the Metropolitan Police are set to walk out for the first time in history.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has confirmed that 85 per cent of its members have voted in favour of industrial action over changes to the Met Police’s policy on working from home.
They claim that the Met Police backtracked on a deal which allowed staff to work from home for part of the week.
Around 2,400 civilian staff are now being asked to come into the office between three to five days a week starting in January.
PCS claims that the Met Police offices do not have enough space to accommodate staff coming in and that the policy change will disproportionately affect those with disabilities, women and part-time workers.
Fran Heathcote, the PCS general secretary, said the desk-based workers supporting police officers “work from home just as productively as if they were in the office, but without the stress and cost of a daily commute”.
“It’s time politicians and the right-wing media stopped their obsession with telling people where they have to work and started listening to the evidence of academics, employers and employees that shows working from home is a perfectly viable option for many people.”
The Met Police said it was “disappointed” by the decision but assured Londoners that they have “contingencies in place to keep them safe”.
Although police officers in the UK are not legally permitted to strike, there are reports of co-ordinated protests and “work-to-rule” actions planned for January and February. These protests aim to highlight poor pay and working conditions
Trains
Those travelling over the festive period are set to face significant disruptions, as the RMT union, which represents transport workers, has announced a fresh round of strikes over the coming months.
Around 300 train managers working for Avanti West Coast – which runs a service between London and Edinburgh covering Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham – are set to walk out in protest over the company’s rest day working arrangements.
The dispute is due to train managers being asked to work on their days off due to staff shortages.
The industrial action will take place on 22, 23 and 29 December.
London Underground staff on the Elizabeth Line were also set to strike on 31 December, but RMT has confirmed this has been cancelled due to a “significantly improved offer”.
