LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative government on Wednesday threatened “tough” action to curb strikes, as airport passport officers became the latest public sector workers to announce December walkouts.
The Public and Commercial Services Union said its members at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff airports would strike for eight days between Dec. 23 and Dec. 31, one of the busiest times of year for international travel.
Labor unrest has spread across both public and private sector workplaces as employees seek pay raises to keep up with inflation that has hit 11.1%, driven by soaring prices for energy and food.
Railway staff and postal workers are engaged in a series of 24- or 48-hour walkouts. British nurses are due to strike on Dec. 15. Ambulance crews and dispatchers plan to walk out on Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.