UK strikes set to continue after government officials' talks with labor unions fail to resolve payment dispute

The UK is set to witness more industrial actions by the country’s labor forces in different sectors after meetings between ministers and trade unions failed to end a wave of ongoing strikes across the economic-hit country.

Following the meeting in Westminster on Monday, the union leaders said the talks were a missed opportunity, accusing the ministers of focusing on productivity rather than resolving payment disputes, which has prompted nationwide strikes.

"We're talking about people who are working well beyond their contracted hours anyway, just to get the job done," Onay Kasab, Unite's lead national officer, said, adding that "Today is an insult to our members."

More than 10,000 ambulance workers are set to walk out on Wednesday as scheduled, the GMB Trade Union said in a statement after talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay failed to produce a breakthrough.

The ministers did not give any "concrete offer that could help resolve this dispute and make significant progress," said GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison.

UK government ministers meet union leaders in bid to end paralyzing wave of strikes

UK government ministers are meeting with leaders of labor unions in a last-ditch effort to end the long-running strikes.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), representing nurses, called the meeting with Barclay "bitterly disappointing", saying there was a long way to go if ministers want to stop nurses' strikes scheduled for two consecutive days on Jan. 18 and 19.

In addition to the health officials’ meeting, the leaders of teaching unions also met the education secretary, as leaders of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union met rail minister, Huw Merriman, hoping to resolve the long-running dispute.

During the past months, the UK has been grappling with its biggest strike wave for decades, with airport baggage handlers, border staff, driving instructors, bus drivers, and postal workers walking off their jobs to demand higher pay.

Final day of planned rail strikes across UK: Only one in five British trains running

Only one-fifth of train services have been functioning across the UK during the last few days as tens of thousands of rail workers went on strike.

Nurses and ambulance workers are also locked in an intense dispute with the National Health Service (NHS) as they seek payment raises to keep pace with the soaring inflation, which stands at a record-high rate of about 11 percent.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been under fire for his inaction regarding the chaos across the country's healthcare system, with doctors saying the NHS is in a very precarious situation as units are struggling with demand and health trusts and ambulance services declaring critical incidents.

The wave of paralyzing strikes came after the workers’ demands for a pay increase were rejected by the government, which says it cannot afford high increases that match the soaring inflation, and even if it could, such monetary increases would further fuel inflation.

As a far-fetched solution to the dispute, the government is set to unveil strike legislation in the near future in order to contain industrial actions in its key sectors, forcing the staff to maintain a basic level of service during strike time or face dismissal.

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