How did the government respond?
By now, the British government had adopted a firm tone, rejecting demands for higher wages, and resorting to the army to make up for the absence of strikers.
On Thursday, January 5, the British government announced that it would “rapidly” introduce a bill to create minimum services in sectors such as health, firefighters, ambulance workers and railway workers.
Sunak invoked the workers’ “right to go on with their lives” without having to suffer the “significant disruptions” caused by the multiplication of strikes for months.
“This is why we have introduced new laws, in line with countries like France, Italy and Spain, to ensure that we have a minimum level of security in sensitive areas such as the fire service and ambulance service, so that in the event of a strike they know their health is protected.”
The government has accused unemployed health workers of endangering patients.
“It’s not the unions that have failed to meet minimum service standards: it’s this government’s disastrous management of the NHS that has brought it to breaking point,” said Sharon, general secretary of Unite – one of the ambulance workers’ unions. Graham in a statement.
The Minister of Health, Steve Barclay, considered the mobilization on Monday “extremely disappointing”, and justified the measures that have been strengthened to ensure the safety of patients, in a statement issued on Sunday evening.
General Secretary Graham replied, “There hasn’t been the slightest suggestion in the last five weeks.”
Trade union organizations are calling on Conservative British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to take over the negotiations, saying that Minister Barclay does not have the “authority” to reach an agreement.
And although the head of health spoke of “constructive discussions” with the unions, they warned against continuing strikes until the executive authority listens to their proposals.
With information from Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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