New analysis of UK strikes

A survey of the impact of strikes in the UK by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that 2,472 million working days were lost between June and December 2022, of which over three-quarters (79%) came from workers in transport, storage, information and communication.

Nearly one in five people reported having their travel plans disrupted by rail strikes between December 2022 and early January 2023; however fewer than one in 10 of those disrupted were unable to work.

Over half of parents reported that they would be affected if schools closed because of strikes, with 31% saying they would have to work fewer hours and 28% saying that they would not be able to work.

Between 1999 and 2018, pay disputes accounted for around 75% of all working days lost, the ONS found, with recent labour disputes occurring in the context of the UK’s rising cost of living. The ONS also offers a useful analysis of the history of strikes in the UK from 1891 onwards (see last link below).