From Thatcher miners to Sunak toilets

Since Boris Johnson’s government began to falter last summer, the ghost of Margaret Thatcher He has been resurrected numerous times. First, to compare Johnson’s fall from grace to that of the Iron Lady, which he also faced. to a motion of confidence and an internal rebellion.

Then, to refer to the policies of the shortest prime minister in the history of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss, as successor to the thatcherism. And now, to talk about the wave of strikes that is shaking the country and that reminiscent of those massive stoppages in the middle of of the 80s, those of the miners, which Thatcher handled with a heavy hand and from which she emerged gracefully.

Today, 30 years later, the strikes, called by sectors ranging from from transportation to the health or education system, have paralyzed the country daily for almost a month. Thus, they are already one of the longest in decades and do not seem to have an end in the near future. Much less after this Wednesday, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunakhas decided to use his first major speech since entering Downing Street to give an overview of his political agenda rather than propose practical solutions to the current crisis.

[El saldo de dos años de Brexit: Reino Unido afronta una recesión aislado del comercio mundial]

The main unions ask, in general, for a rise in wages that adjusts to the increase in the cost of living derived of high inflation. And the truth is that Sunak has recognized in his speech that he understood that many people see the new year “with fear.” However, he assured that there was a “better future”.

A future that, in his opinion, will improve when his government fulfills “five promises”: halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut NHS waiting lists and stop small boats carrying illegal migrants across the Channel of France from France.

Laws to stop strikes

One of the most controversial points, and also one of the most specific, is the one that refers to the NHS, since when toilets and ambulance drivers join the current strikes, it is estimated that more than 6,000 non-urgent operations and more than 6,000 appointments have had to be postponed. In this sense, the premier Britain, which a few weeks ago refused to negotiate with public health personnel, has limited itself to saying that it was “taking urgent measures” to prevent what has already been dubbed “the winter of discontent” from becoming a Annus horribilis.

[Ambulancias, sanitarios, trenes, aeropuertos… La huelga interminable en Reino Unido]

Sunak has not given details about those measures. However, the daily The Times It advanced this Wednesday that the Tory government plans to announce legislation to stop strikes and force “compliance with minimum levels of service” in sectors such as health, rail or border security.

In this sense, according to the information collected by the British newspaper, the legislative package will consider illegal strikes if these “minimum services” are not maintained. Furthermore, heyou Employers will be able to sue unions and fire staff under government plans to limit the right to strike.