Cause Britons endured disruptions in services ranging from garbage collection to libraries, schools and the London Underground on Wednesday in strikes that underscored the unhappiness of workers with the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Explanation:
Britons endured disruptions in services ranging from garbage collection to libraries, schools and the London Underground on Wednesday in strikes that underscored the unhappiness of workers with the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The one-day strike by municipal workers was their first nationwide walkout since 1979, when a wave of stoppages during the “winter of discontent” toppled a Labor government and ushered in the Thatcher era. But despite the inevitable comparisons, Wednesday’s strikes had a limited impact on the average person.
A separate 24-hour strike by workers in the Underground that began at 8 p.m. Wednesday was likely to be the more disruptive, causing massive inconvenience for the 3 million commuters who use “the tube” daily. Workers scurried to complete their homeward commutes by 8 p.m., and traffic chaos was predicted for today.
The three unions behind the municipal workers strike--the Transport and General Workers Union, the GMB general workers union and UNISON -- claimed that 750,000 workers stayed home Wednesday. But the Employers’ Organization for local government gave a lower estimate. It said 600,000, about half the workers involved in the pay dispute, took part. It estimated that one-quarter of state schools closed, while unions claimed that 70% were forced to shut down.
The strike comes days after the Blair government announced plans to increase spending by the equivalent of $95 billion in the next three years, mostly on education, housing, defense and crime fighting. But the government sidestepped the labor dispute Wednesday, arguing that it was between local governments and their employees. It said it had provided the local governments with generous funding.
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