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UP TO 500,000 WORKERS TAKE PART IN WALKOUTS OVER PAY DEMANDS IN BRITAIN

LONDON Up to half a million British teachers, civil servants and train drivers walked out over pay in the largest coordinated strike action for a decade on Wednesday, with unions threatening more disruption as the government digs its heels in over pay demands.

The mass walkouts across the country shut schools, halted most rail services, and forced the military to be put on standby to help with border checks on a day dubbed “Walk Out Wednesday” by unions.

According to unions, as many as 300,000 teachers were expected to be on strike, the biggest group involved, as part of wider action by 500,000 people, the highest number since 2011, when civil servants walked out en masse.

The PCS Union, representing about 100,000 striking civil servants from more than 120 government departments, warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government that further co-ordinated action was inevitable.

Education Minister Gillian Keegan said the government would not budge, and that giving in to demands for large wage increases would only fuel inflation. Next week, nurses, ambulance staff, paramedics, emergency call handlers and other health care workers are set to stage more walkouts, while firefighters this week also backed a nationwide strike.

There were also rallies planned for Wednesday to protest against a new law to curb strikes in some sectors.

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2023-02-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

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