More than 45,000 UK railway workers have gone on strike in recent days to demand better wages due to persistently rising inflation and lowering their purchasing power. The London Underground network and many bus lines were also affected by last Friday’s strike, all of which caused serious problems this weekend for you to be able to travel by rail. Back in June, the biggest rail strike in 30 years brought Britain’s rail network to a standstill.
To all these strikes we must add those that started yesterday by dock workers in the port of Felixstowe, which may affect the distribution of products across the country as it is the largest port of goods in the UK. Groups such as postmen, doctors, nurses, teachers and airline employees, among others, are threatening similar measures in the coming weeks and during the fall.
The country is witnessing a wave of strikes against inflation that coincided with the political vacuum
As we said, the common cause is high inflation – 10.1% in July and may reach 13% in October – and the consequent demand for wage increases to be able to keep up. Prices have skyrocketed, especially due to the rise in gas, on which the country is highly dependent, but also due to supply chain problems and a shortage of workers as a result of the pandemic and Britain’s exit from the European Union.
And yet the government’s response to all this is simply no response because, in reality, there is no government. Resigning Boris Johnson justifies his inaction that the interim prime minister cannot stand in the way of the administration of the next prime minister. No one will make decisions, not even armed men conservatives The election of their new leader on September 5, most likely leader In this case, this assumes the head of government. Liz Truss, the favorite to replace Johnson, has so far been limited to saying, as a fervent Thatcher, that if she won, she would not allow “hard-line unionists” to take the government hostage. He believes his proposal would be to cut taxes to boost economic growth.
All this does nothing but increase the discontent and annoyance of the British. The fear that a large part of the population will not be able to pay the upcoming gas and electricity bills is increasingly possible, with estimates suggesting that the average cost will rise by 250% in one year. Consequently, many Britons will have to choose this winter between heating or eating. Neither the political vacuum after Johnson’s resignation nor the fact that his successor will be a Thatcherite neoliberal helps him believe that the situation will improve for the ordinary citizen.
