Who Is Going On Strike And When In February?
4 min read
Mass walkouts are set to take place across multiple sectors in February affecting the NHS, schools, rail services and more.
The strikes are the latest wave of industrial action by unions, many of whom are in disputes with employers over pay and working conditions as record-high inflation cuts into people’s wages.
The government has so far refused to budge on pay deals for teachers and NHS staff, insisting that tight public finances make significant pay increases impossible.
Their tough stance has led to a significant escalation in strikes, with some of the action scheduled in February being the biggest seen in recent years.
Walkouts in the civil service have been dubbed the largest ever seen in the sector including up to 100,000 workers, while the latest round of historic nursing strikes will affect more than double the NHS trusts compared to the first round in December.
More strikes are also set to go ahead in March if pay deals aren’t reached, with public disruption expected to continue throughout the spring.
Here are the key strike dates you need to know in February:
Wednesday 1 February
- Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which has approximately 100,000 members, will stage a 24-hour strike affecting several government departments, plus other agencies such as Ofsted and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
- Members of the National Education Union (NEU) in England and Wales will hold the first of a series of strikes scheduled across February and March. The teacher walkout is expected to cause widespread disruption for many schools.
- Around 70,000 staff across 150 UK universities who are members of the University and College Union (UCU) will begin the first of 18 days of strikes across February and March.
- Much of the railway network is expected to come to a standstill as train drivers who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and ASLEF unions will go on strike, affecting over a dozen operators.
- Around 1,900 bus drivers employed by Abellio who are members of Unite will hold the first of three days of strikes in London, affecting certain bus routes.
Thursday 2 February
- Abellio staff in London will go on strike for a second consecutive day.
Friday 3 February
- Train drivers who are part of the RMT and ASLEF unions will hold a second one-day strike, affecting rail networks nationwide.
- Abellio staff in London will go on strike for a third consecutive day.
Saturday 4 February
- Members of the ASLEF union, which represents train drivers, will go on strike, affecting services on the Bakerloo line.
Monday 6 February
- Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will hold their latest round of strike action, affecting 73 NHS trusts in England and further trusts in Wales. This third round of strikes is the largest yet by the union, and will last two days.
- Paramedics, emergency care assistants and call handlers across England and Wales will walk out in the latest wave of strike action organised by the GMB and Unite unions.
Tuesday 7 February
- RCN members in England and Wales go on strike for a second consecutive day.
Thursday 9 February
- University staff who are members of the University and College Union (UCU) will go on strike.
- Members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) will go on strike across England, affecting services at 33 NHS trusts.
Friday 10 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
Saturday 11 February
- Members of the ASLEF union, which represents train drivers, will go on strike, affecting services on the Bakerloo line.
Tuesday 14 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
- Teachers in the NEU will hold their second strike of the month.
Wednesday 15 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
Thursday 16 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
- Ambulance staff and other health and social care workers in Northern Ireland will begin a 48-hour strike, organised by the Unite union.
Friday 17 February
- Ambulance staff and other health and social care workers in Northern Ireland strike for a second consecutive day.
Monday 20 February
- Paramedics, emergency care assistants and call handlers who are members of the GMB union will go on strike.
Tuesday 21 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
Wednesday 22 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
- Unite ambulance workers will strike in the North West of England.
Thursday 23 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
- Ambulance staff and other health and social care workers in Northern Ireland will begin their second 48-hour strike, organised by the Unite union.
Friday 24 February
- Ambulance staff and other health and social care workers in Northern Ireland strike for a second consecutive day.
Monday 27 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
Tuesday 28 February
- University staff who are members of the UCU will go on strike.
- Teachers who are NEU members in the Northern, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber regions of England will go on strike.
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