Nurses, postal workers and railway employees are all walking out this month in the U.K.'s largest series of labor actions in more than a decade. It's a major challenge to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
British nurses picket outside St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Thursday. The nurses' union is asking for a 19% pay raise. Nurses, as well as postal workers, rail workers and some airport immigration officers, are staging walkouts over the holiday season. They are asking for pay increases as the U.K. faces nearly 11% inflation.British nurses picket outside St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Thursday. The nurses' union is asking for a 19% pay raise.
As a nurse, Woods focuses on identifying children who may be victims of domestic violence. She says because of low pay and high turnover among her fellow NHS workers, hundreds of children fall through the cracks. "We regularly work over hours with case loads that are unsafe and too big to manage," she says."It's just an accident waiting to happen."
Rosie Woods, a nurse, pickets outside St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Thursday."You've literally got nurses visiting food banks," she says.Rosie Woods, a nurse, pickets outside St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Thursday."You've literally got nurses visiting food banks," she says.The nurses are demanding a 19% pay raise, but Woods thinks they'll settle for less. Either way, the government says it simply can't afford it.
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