The United Kingdom is getting organized in the face of repeated strikes which are disrupting several sectors. The British army will thus be called in as reinforcements to replace striking workers in certain sensitive sectors such as border police or ambulances, the government said on Thursday. “These recurring strikes are going to disrupt everyone, and that includes our military personnel who will, unfortunately, have to step up and perform some of the vital functions that we need to keep the country running,” a spokesperson told reporters. word of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Faced with the proliferation of calls for strikes in rail transport, health, mail and logistics or even border police, the government had already warned that it was considering resorting to the army.
“Discussions are underway with the Ministry of Defense” so that soldiers can replace striking paramedics, at a time when the public health system is experiencing an unprecedented crisis, in particular in the emergency services, said the spokesperson. . The nurses will thus be on strike for two days in December, a first on a national scale for more than a hundred years. In addition, soldiers are “being trained” to support the border police, added the spokesperson. This recourse to the army would not be unanimously appreciated in the ranks of the military, according to information reported by the daily The Telegraph.
These strikes take place against a backdrop of wage demands in a context of inflation exceeding 10%, which is causing a severe crisis in the cost of living. If the negotiations have succeeded in some companies, they seem to be at a standstill in several sectors and the government has toughened up its rhetoric in recent days. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised on Wednesday to put in place “tough new laws” to tackle the consequences of the strikes.