LONDON, February 1 (DPA/EP) –

Hundreds of thousands of workers, including school teachers, will strike in Britain on Wednesday in what will be the biggest day of union action in a decade.

Teachers in England and Wales, which are affiliated with the National Education Union (NEU), will begin their first day of strikes on Wednesday, threatening to disrupt activity in more than 23,000 schools.

NEU estimates that around 85 per cent of schools in England and Wales will remain fully or partially closed, reports DPA.

The stoppage, during which more than 100,000 teachers were able to participate in wage disputes, coincided with strikes by university professors, train drivers, civil servants, bus drivers and security guards.

Train commuters are also facing another day of travel disruptions as train drivers strike once again in a long-running dispute over wages, jobs and conditions.

Protests will take place across the country against the British government’s controversial plans to introduce a new law on minimum service levels during strikes.

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak’s government has acknowledged that a full-scale strike will be “very difficult” for residents, expressing itself as “disappointed” that principals do not know exactly how many teachers will be made available.

British ministers insist that raising wages to the level demanded by unions will increase inflation, while their main priority is to bring this rate down in the coming weeks.

The UK has recently been hit by a wave of strikes and stoppages due to the current economic crisis. In addition, there were also protests involving airport workers, railroad companies, lawyers and postmen.