| 2021–present United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis |
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| Background |
| Industrial action |
The 2022 BT Group strikes were an industrial dispute between the telecommunications provider BT and members of the Communication Workers Union over pay amongst the backdrop of the UK cost of living crisis. The strike action was taken by CWU members working for BT group's communications infrastructure subsidiary Openreach alongside those employed at the company's call centres.
In April 2022, members of the Communication Workers Union rejected pay offers made by BT Group as part of its 2022 pay review which awarded a £1,500 increase in fully consolidated pay to its team members and frontline staff. The decision taken at the CWU's Telecoms and Financial Services conference was made on the basis that the offer failed to "adequately reward the contribution made by CWU members keeping the country connected throughout the pandemic" and that it was "not acceptable in the face of increased inflation ... and the cost of living crisis". The conference resolved to hold a ballot on undertaking industrial action as a result. [1] [2]
A strike ballot was held on the 30 June. Campaigning for a yes ballot took place, in one notable example the CWU erected billboards outside the BT Tower calling out a 32% increase in remuneration for BT Group CEO Philip Jansen, which it contrasted with the establishment of a "community pantry" at a BT call centre. BT claimed that this was "absolutely not a food bank", despite CWU claims to the contrary. [3] [4] A majority of both Openreach and BT Group staff turned out to vote in favour of strike action, though a strike ballot held by staff at BT owned mobile communications operator EE did not achieve the 50% turnout required by the Trade Union Act 2016, missing the 50% turnout threshold by 8 votes. [5] This strike action took place on 29 July and 1 August, in the first nationwide strike taken by BT staff since 1987. [6] [7] Another two-day strike was held on 30 and 31 August. [8] Additional strikes were also held on 6, 10, 20 and 24 October. Unlike in previous strikes, the CWU did not exempt 999 switchboard operators from partaking in October's industrial action. BT subsequently redeployed staff from other lines of business to answer 999 calls during the strike days. [9]
On 28 November, union members accepted BT's offer of a £1,500 pay raise for workers earning less than £50,000, thus ending the year's industrial action. [10]
In response to the notification of strike action made to BT Group, the company published a press release on 15 July in which it claimed that the pay offer it made awarded "team member and frontline colleagues the highest pay award in more than 20 years" and that "while we respect the choice of our colleagues who are CWU members to strike, we will work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected". [11]
On 1 August, shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy joined CWU members on a picket line in her Wigan constituency, with shadow employment minister Imran Hussain and Labour whip Navendu Mishra also joining CWU picket lines. [12] [13] This is despite Labour Party leader Keir Starmer having previously told shadow ministers that they should not join picket lines during the 2022 United Kingdom railway strikes. [14] Lisa Nandy is reported to have made Keir Starmer's office aware of her appearance on the picket line in advance of her visit. [12]
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is the main trade union in the United Kingdom for people working for telephone, cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), postal delivery, and tech companies. It has 110,000 members in Royal Mail as well as more in many other communication companies.
The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 is a UK act of Parliament which regulates United Kingdom labour law. The act applies in full in England and Wales and in Scotland, and partially in Northern Ireland.
The 2007 Royal Mail industrial disputes.
SirKeir Rodney Starmer is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015, and was Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013.
The 2009 Royal Mail industrial disputes is an industrial dispute in the United Kingdom involving Royal Mail and members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which began in the summer of 2009. It was the country's first industrial action involving postal workers since 2007 and came about after the Communication Workers Union accused Royal Mail of refusing to enter into dialogue regarding how the implementation of modernisation plans would affect the job security of postal workers.
Lisa Eva Nandy is a British Labour Party politician serving as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport since 2024. She has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wigan since 2010. Nandy previously served as Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Levelling Up Secretary, Shadow Energy Secretary and Shadow International Development Minister.
Unite the Union, commonly known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union which was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). Along with Unison, Unite is one of the two largest trade unions in the UK, with over 1.2 million members in construction, manufacturing, transport, logistics and other sectors. The general secretary of Unite is Sharon Graham, who was elected on 25 August 2021 with 46,696 votes on a turnout of 124,127, with her term beginning on 26 August 2021.
Philip Eric Rene Jansen is a British businessman, and was the chief executive officer (CEO) of BT from February 2019 to January 2024, having previously been CEO of Worldpay since April 2013.
The Living Staff Living Wage campaign is an umbrella term for the organised workers behind industrial actions at Picturehouse Cinemas in the United Kingdom since 2014.
The 2020 Labour Party leadership election was triggered after Jeremy Corbyn announced his intention to resign as the leader of the Labour Party following the party's defeat at the 2019 general election. It was won by Keir Starmer, who received 56.2 per cent of the vote on the first round and went on to become Prime Minister after winning the 2024 general election. It was held alongside the deputy leadership election, in which Angela Rayner was elected to succeed Tom Watson as deputy leader after Watson retired from Parliament in November 2019, in advance of the election.
Samuel Peter Tarry is a British former politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilford South from 2019 until 2024. He was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus. On 10 October 2022 he was deselected by the Ilford South Constituency Labour Party as its candidate for the next general election.
On 29 November 2021, Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom, carried out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet. The slimmed down shadow cabinet, was seen to be Starmer creating a top team in his own image.
The 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes were an industrial dispute between rail workers and companies, with the latter supported by the UK government. The rail workers were represented by several unions including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF). The railway strikes commenced on 21 June 2022 after workers walked out over wages, threat of redundancies and planned changes to working practices. The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, and involved 40,000 workers nationwide. The dispute lasted for two years and ultimately resulted in victory for the unions, with improved pay deals concluded region by region. The last dispute was resolved in London in November 2024.
The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 is a statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The regulations removed Regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, which prevented employment agencies from supplying agency workers to employers to replace workers taking part in official industrial action. The regulations were struck down in a High Court case in July 2023, and were quashed from 10 August 2023.
Since May–June 2022, a series of labour strikes and industrial disputes have occurred in various industries of the United Kingdom's economy as workers walked out over pay and conditions. The strikes took place with rising inflation, and demands for pay increases that would keep pace with this inflation.
Sam White is a British political adviser. He was Chief of Staff to Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer from September 2021 to November 2022.
Starting in May 2022, postal workers in the United Kingdom undertook a series of strikes and industrial disputes. They principally involved members of Unite and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at both Royal Mail and the Post Office. Post Office strikes ended in April 2023 after workers agreed to a 9% pay rise plus a cash lump sum. The Royal Mail strikes ended three months later in July 2023 after workers agreed to a three-year pay deal with Royal Mail.
The 2022–present National Health Service (NHS) strikes are several ongoing industrial disputes in the publicly funded health services of the United Kingdom.
Keir Starmer served as Leader of the Opposition from April 2020, following the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn after Labour's defeat at the 2019 general election and Starmer's election as Labour leader in the ensuing leadership election, until his party won a landslide victory at the 2024 general election in July 2024. During his tenure, Starmer moved Labour toward the political centre and emphasised the elimination of antisemitism within the party.
Audrey White was a British shopworker whose activism led to breakthrough legislation on sexual harassment in the United Kingdom. Her activism also drew attention to the use of legislation banning picketing and the use of strip searching by the police.
