As the United Kingdom prepares to experience a strike movement during the end of the year celebrations and the Christmas holidays, the government does not rule out the use of the army to alleviate possible disturbances. This was confirmed, this Sunday on Sky News, by Nadhim Zahawi, president of the Conservative Party.
Thus, military personnel could be called in to “drive ambulances” or even station at the British borders. Pharmacists, for their part, may be called upon to help in the face of the strike by the NHS, the British public health system. “We need to be able to provide safe levels of treatment and support to patients,” said Nadhim Zahawi.
“We are considering the army”
Around 2,000 soldiers and civil servants, as well as volunteers, are trained for various missions, including border force at airports and ports, in the event of a sustained strike movement.
In a statement, 10 Downing Street explained that the decision to deploy the army or not has not yet been decided, but that military personnel “form part of the range of options available if the strike in these areas goes as planned.”
“We are looking at the army, we are looking at a specialized intervention force…a cutting-edge capability,” Nadhim Zahawi said.
For the leader of the Conservative Party, the end-of-year celebrations “are not the time to go on strike.” “Our message to the unions is, you know, this is not the time to strike, this is the time to try to negotiate.
A statement from Number 10 said a decision had not yet been made on whether or not to deploy troops, but that personnel “are within the range of available options if strike action in these areas proceeds as planned.”
Public function, roads, trains and transport affected
UK motorways, trains and air transport will be affected by strikes over the Christmas holidays. The union of civil servants PCS, which carries out a series of actions in different areas of the civil service, announced this Friday that its members who work on the highways “will participate in 12 days of strikes” between December 16 and January 7. .
“We know that the actions of our members could cause inconvenience for travelers who want to visit loved ones this holiday season, but they are being driven by a government that is not listening to its own workforce,” PCS commented in a statement. Press release.
At the same time, rail workers’ strikes organized by various unions continue throughout the month of December, and several days of strikes by Eurostar security guards have also been announced.
Employees of London’s Elizabeth tube line will also vote on a possible strike, to demand a better pay rise than the roughly 4% offered by the London Department of Transport.
Finally, 350 baggage handlers employed by a subcontractor at Heathrow airport, the country’s largest, have also planned a 72-hour strike starting December 16.
Source: BFM TV
