Schools are closed, trains are paralyzed, officials are absent in various ministries. England lives this Wednesday (01.02.2023). longest strike day in eleven years with strikes in various sectors, united by demands for better wages against inflation of 10.5%.

Around 20,000 schools in England and Wales They will be affected by the first seven days of strikes called in February and March by primary and secondary school teachers, thereby joining the protests that started months ago in many other sectors. This strike coincided with one of multiples approved by engineers from a dozen railroad companies and with a personnel strike from 150 universities.

Although the strikes promised chaos to many, the generalization of teleworking since the pandemic has allowed many workers to avoid it train strike, who did not give up. And escaping the paralysis of activity experienced in the last major UK civil service strike, in November 2011, against pension reform.

While each sector has its own demands, all are united in demanding wage increases in the face of inflation which has been above 10% for months (10.5% in December) and left many families with no other option than food banks.

The big day of protests on Wednesday comes at a bad time for Sunak, ahead of his 100 days in power marked by crisis and coincides with the third anniversary of a Brexit that only 20% of Britons think is on the right track. , of which 56% would now vote (versus 48% in the 2016 referendum), according to a December YouGov poll. To this is added a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which predicted on Tuesday that Britain would be the only G7 country whose economy contracted by 2023. (EFE)