Explainer
Who is striking when? A timeline of walkouts in January and February 2023
A wave of industrial unrest emerged towards the end of 2022 as staff across the transport network, NHS, Royal Mail, the civil service and the legal profession were part of a mass of workers who took strike action.
The start of 2023 is due to see similar action brought by a range of employees, including rail workers, bus drivers, teachers in Scotland, ambulance workers and nurses.
Many of the striking staff are represented by unions locked in disputes with ministers who have offered below-inflation pay offers, and which have been rejected for not keeping up with spiralling living costs.
Implementing changes to working and pension conditions are among the other reasons why so many employees have joined picket lines.
Here are the upcoming strike dates for January:
Saturday January 21
Driving examiners of the PCS union in England from the North West, Yorkshire and Humber will strike.
Legal advisers and court associates who are PCS members will take to picket lines.
Monday January 23
Unison members working for five ambulance services in England will stage another walkout. More than 2,600 ambulance workers in the West Midlands, North West, North East, East Midlands and Wales will be involved in the walkout.
Wednesday January 25
London bus workers at Abellio will go on strike.
Members of the GMB union who work in Amazon’s Coventry warehouse will take strike action over pay.
Thursday January 26
London bus workers at Abellio will continue their industrial action.
NHS physiotherapy staff across England will strike, with the industrial action involving up to 4,200 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy members.
Unite health and social care workers in Northern Ireland will head on strike.
Here are the upcoming strike dates for February:
Wednesday February 1
Around 100,000 civil servants will stage a 24-hour strike by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union
All eligible members of the National Education Union (NEU) in England and Wales will strike
Monday February 6
RCN nurses will strike for 12 hours on February 6.
Ambulance drivers who are members of Unite will also strike.
Tuesday February 7
RCN nurses will strike for 12 hours on February 7
Thursday February 9
Industrial action called by the CSP Council means NHS physiotherapy staff will go on strike.
Tuesday February 14
All eligible members of the National Education Union (NEU) in Wales will strike.
Thursday February 16
Health and social care workers from Unite will begin the first of two planned 48-hour strikes across Northern Ireland.
Friday February 17
Ambulance drivers from Unite will strike in the West Midlands.
Monday February 20
Ambulance drivers from Unite will strike in the North East, Wales and the East Midlands.
Wednesday February 22
Ambulance drivers from Unite will strike in the North West.
Thursday February 23
Second 48-hour strike by health and social care workers from the Unite union begins in Northern Ireland.
Tuesday February 28
All eligible members of the NEU in the Northern, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber regions in England will strike
The NASUWT and EIS teaching unions in Scotland will walk out.
Strikes so far in January
Tuesday January 3:
Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members strike in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Rural Payments Agency (RPA), who disburse funds for the agricultural sector, resumed strike over pay.
National Highways traffic officers began nationwide strike.
Wednesday January 4:
More RMT strike action.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) driving examiners’ strike started in London, the South East, South Wales and the South West.
UK-wide National Highways strike continued.
RPA staff continued their walkout.
Thursday January 5:
Train workers at 15 operators with the Aslef union staged a 24-hour walkout.
The DVSA strike continued in London, the South East, South Wales and the South West.
RPA staff continued their walkout.
London bus workers at Abellio went on strike.
Friday January 6:
National Highways workers start first of two-day action in the East Midlands and eastern England.
The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West.
RPA staff continue their walkout.
RMT nationwide train strike continues.
Saturday January 7:
RMT nationwide train strike.
National Highways workers continued their strike in the East Midlands and eastern England.
The DVSA strike continued in London, South East, South Wales and South West.
Sunday January 8:
Driving examiners’ strike - affecting London, South East, South Wales and South West.
Monday January 9:
Driving examiners’ strike - London, South East, South Wales and South West.RPA staff resumed their action.
Tuesday January 10:
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union staged a national strike in primary schools, special schools and early years sites.
The DVSA strike continued in London, the South East, South Wales and the South West.
RPA staff continued their walkout.
London bus workers at Abellio went on strike.
Wednesday January 11:
Unison members working for five ambulance services in England staged a fresh walkout.
The GMB union, also representing ambulance staff, took further strike action on this date.
EIS, joined by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, staged another national strike in secondary schools and secondary special schools.
RPA staff continued their walkout.
Thursday January 12:
Workers on London’s Elizabeth line will go on strike.
London bus workers at Abellio will also stage industrial action.
RPA staff will continue their walkout.
Friday January 13
RPA staff to continue their walkout.
Monday January 16
EIS to stage a national strike for 16 consecutive days until February 2, which will see members in two local authorities strike each day.
London bus workers at Abellio to go on strike.
Wednesday January 18
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members in England will strike.
Thousands of Environment Agency workers from Unison will go on strike in England.
Thursday January 19
London bus workers at Abellio will go on strike.
RCN members in England will continue their strike.
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