Industrial action across key services in the UK is set to continue this week.
Staff from the NHS and rail service will walk out, among university staff, dental practitioners, and journalists, as they have not reached agreements with the Government.
Here’s what you need to know about the strikes taking place this week.
Why are staff striking this week?
Staff are striking over pay as unions are calling for pay rises to keep up with rising inflation.
The strikes follow previous rounds of action by rail unions, nurses, and others.
What strikes are taking place this week?
Junior doctors
Tens of thousands of junior doctors are launching a three-day strike this week over pay and conditions.
Until March 15, medical professionals represented by the British Medical Association (BMA) will form picket lines outside hospitals in what will be the longest period of industral action by junior doctors in history.
The BMA said newly qualified medics have suffered a 26 per cent real-terms pay cut since 2008/09 because of inflation.
While talks between the Government and other health unions are ongoing, prime minister Rishi Sunak told reporters that it was “very disappointing” that BMA is “not engaging with the Government”.
Dental trainees
Hospital dental trainees in England represented by the British Dental Association (BDA) are in the midst of a 72-hour strike at a number of trusts from March 13 to 15.
Civil servants
Some 133,000 civil servants from 124 Government departments will strike on March 15, the day the chancellor unveils the Budget.
Represented by the Public and Commercial Services union, the workers are calling for a 10 per cent pay rise, as well as better pensions, job security, and no cuts to redundancy terms.
Teachers
Teachers represented by the National Education Union (NEU) in England and Wales will strike on March 15 and 16 after they rejected a Government offer of an extra 1.5 per cent pay rise, plus 1.5 per cent as a one-off payment.
It follows previous action last month.
Responding to their concerns, the Government said it has already agreed to an extra £2bn in school funding.
University staff
About 70,000 members of the University and College Union (UCU) are striking at 150 universities on March 16 and 17.
They are demanding pay rises in line with inflation.
Rail workers
Members of the RMT and Aslef unions working on the London Underground will also strike on Budget day, as part of an ongoing dispute over working arrangements and pensions.
TfL has said “little or no service” is expected on the Tube network that day because of the action.
Meanwhile, RMT members from 14 train operators will also strike on March 16 and 18.
BBC journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced that BBC staff will be striking over plans to share content between local radio stations.
The 24-hour strike will take place on Budget day.
