This summer was punctuated with a begrudging shrug of the shoulders, annoyed at the inconvenience of yet another parcel, bus, train, or bin collection being delayed due to strike action. But with new chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s latest tax cuts for the richest in society and scrapping the cap on bankers’ bonuses, could we be looking at more unrest through a cold strike winter?
On Friday, Kwarteng put forward his plans to scrap the cap on bankers’ bonuses and reduce tax by 5% for high-income earners in the top tax bracket, whilst simultaneously attacking the necessity of financial aid by threatening to reduce benefits. The move echoes the myriad of action – and inaction – which is targetting and impoverishing working-class communities.
Striking is a reflection of the powerful strength workers have to articulate their anger, which could be escalated in response to the mini-budget’s decimation of any potential financial security for the nation.
Like many people, I have witnessed the exhaustion that can come from a high-intensity workplace from my mother working in the NHS. For over thirty years she has passionately dedicated her life to helping others, expecting nothing in return, whilst uplifting and empowering her family in the process. But it can be hard to articulate the anger felt by those in the public sector workforce, their families, and the nation when their empathy and resilience are rewarded with rising bills and falling wages.
Instead of rolling our eyes at the strikes or holding a skepticism towards unions, it is important to recognise what the civil unrest of the summer is about, and what it means for Britain’s economically challenged households combatting the present trajectory of the cost of living.
If you’ve never been involved in a strike before, the prevalence of them at present can be somewhat daunting. Though many advocate in different forms or have agendas that challenge specific caveats in their individual occupations, their concerns echo each other. The strikes are a consequence of the long-term mistreatment of working people, coinciding with the rising cost of living.
With inflation set to surge to 18% in January, unions have conducted strikes to vocalise the attitudes of the British public and counteract the lack of support being provided to workers by the government. Communities that are already vulnerable will not have the capacity to endure these impossible rises, with many families having their present struggles exacerbated.
A fundamental element that has shaped the purpose of the strikes is publicly highlighting the hardships faced across Britain, which are becoming magnified through the rise of the cost of living. The upcoming tidal wave of rising energy bills will be critical for the nation, not solely for one sector or profession.
This will have a catastrophic impact on our wellbeing, more so than the hardships faced by the shockwaves of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the toll this will burden on our health is quite frankly, bone-chilling. When these strikes have held political representatives accountable for their decisions, they speak on behalf of the public.
Many people are not provided with the privilege or affordances to strike. Taking industrial action can be terrifying if it jeopardizes your occupation, which is only reinforced by the rise of bills and the loss of wages on chosen industrial action days. Imagine if all emergency service workers downed tools for one day.
Not only would this be at the expense of human lives, but they would feel responsible for the plethora of pain and suffering which would be experienced, simply because they wanted to act and highlight the pressure forced upon them. Instead of viewing the strikes as job-specific, we should consider them an advocation for all those who are starved of the opportunity to do so themselves.
There’s a joke people say, that even when times are tough ‘the NHS is never closed’. During the 2020 lockdown, we observed millions of people clapping for the efforts of a workforce who risk their lives so often that it’s normalised as ‘a part of the job’.
By attempting to celebrate these people as heroes, a kind-hearted gesture evolved into a performative act to divert attention away from the underfunding and overworking lamented onto them. It’s time that those with the power to make change act with the welfare of the public at the epicentre of their decision-making.
In the encroaching winter period, all communities will be undermined by the challenges of surviving economic suffocation. With It’s imperative that we do all we can to help those around us. Through supporting the strikes, joining unions, and raising awareness, collectively we can battle the hardships which will face us.
Because this Christmas I want to rejoice with my Mum, not sit at home worried about how we can afford to pay our energy bill.
Words by Alanya Smith
Well said