Teachers, railway workers, civil servants, university professors… The United Kingdom is preparing for another day of massive strikes this Wednesday, the biggest in a decade, in a country mired in an economic crisis fueled by inflation.

The longest day of strikes since 2011

Up to half a million people could go on strike on Wednesday, on the eve of the first 100 days – troubled – of Rishi Sunak’s conservative government. The TUC union federation warned that it would be “the biggest day of strikes since 2011“. Les perturbations seront fortes à la fois dans les transports et les écoles mais concernedont toute l’économie, par effet domino pour des Britanniques, même non grévistes, forcés de rester chez eux pour garder leurs enfants ou par impossibilité de se rendre sur leur Workplace.

At Farrington station in central London, many people decided to work from home or even take a day off on Wednesday to avoid facing a difficult commute.

Katie Webb, 23, who works for a charity, will be working remotely after rearranging her schedule and changing an appointment. “I support strikes, rail workers deserve better wages“, he says, judging that the disturbances he is suffering are minor compared to what is at stake.

Sebastian Webb, a 48-year-old project manager, has seen his personal life suffer in recent months with countless train cancellations, and the strike added to chronic problems at Britain’s railways. “I canceled an appointment tomorrow” Wednesday, “I will stay towards Cambridge, where I live.“. He explains that a large part of his clients are in London or Peterborough where “trains are constantly being cancelled. In August, one night, I came home around midnight.“.

Travelers passing through UK airports are also at risk of having their travel interrupted by a strike by immigration officials. “I really would like nothing so much (…) as having a magic wand and paying you everything more“, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured this Monday during a visit to health sector workers, who plan to continue in the coming days with their actions in public finances, which have already deteriorated since the pandemic and the energy crisis.