A winter of resentment, that’s what the British are calling the time right now. And by that I mean the largest wave of strikes that the country has experienced since the 1980s. The train drivers are on strike this Friday, according to the announcement, hardly any trains are running. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets on Wednesday: teachers, civil servants, university employees and many more. They all call for their wages to be adjusted for inflation, which is around ten percent. The government around Rishi Sunak offers the professional groups less.
Despite significant restrictions, the majority is behind the strikes, says Alexander Mühlauer, SZ correspondent in London. At least for the nursing staff, “precisely because they are also considered the heroes of the pandemic in Great Britain.” Customs officials and driving examiners, on the other hand, do not have such high backing.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is to blame for the strikes. His first 100 days in office were “mixed,” says Mühlauer. Sunak may have changed the tone, but “the question is, of course: What are the deeds? And that’s where he’s having such a hard time.” After all, Sunak stands for a different style of politics than his predecessors. “I think you have to keep emphasizing that in these times of populism: nobody lies.”
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Moderation, editing: Johannes Korsche
Editors: Ayca Balci, Tami Holderried
Production: Jakob Arnu
Additional audio via SkyNews
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