LONDON - Half a million people stopped working over pay in Britain on Wednesday, leaving transport networks empty and thousands of classrooms empty in the largest walkout in over a decade.
As Europe battles a cost-of-living crisis, Britain's umbrella labor organisation, the Trades Union Congress TUC, called it the biggest day of strike action since 2011 after more than 1.27 million people took to the streets in France, increasing pressure on the French government over pension reform plans.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has demanded pay rises to be reasonable and affordable, warning that big pay hikes would hurt attempts to tame inflation.
But unions accused millionaire Sunak of being out of touch with the challenges faced by ordinary working people struggling to make ends meet in the face of low-paid, insecure work and spiralling costs.
Teachers and train drivers were among the groups to act, as well as Border Force staff at UK air and seaports.