Tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance staff walked off the job in the U.K. on Monday in what unions called the biggest strike in the history of the country's public health system.
The walkout is the latest in a wave of strikes that has disrupted Britons' lives for months, as workers -- especially in the public sector -- demand pay raises to keep pace with double-digit inflation. Teachers, train drivers, airport baggage handlers, border staff, driving instructors, bus drivers and postal workers also have all walked off their jobs in recent months to demand higher pay.
Teachers, health workers and many others say their wages have fallen in real terms over the last decade, and a cost-of-living crisis fueled by sharply rising food and energy prices has left many struggling to pay their bills.
Britain's annual inflation rate was 10.5% in December, a 41-year high. The Conservative government argues that giving public sector staff pay increases of 10% or more would drive inflation even higher.
The strike piles more pressure on the state-funded National Health Service, already staggering under demand from winter viruses, staff shortages and backlogs built up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nursing unions say emergency care and cancer treatment will continue during their 48-hour walkout, but thousands of appointments and procedures are likely to be postponed.
The ambulance service says it will respond to the most urgent calls during a daylong strike. But Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the strike could put lives at risk, leaving people with "a postcode lottery when it comes to having a heart attack or a stroke."
Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union representing some ambulance staff, said Sunday there were "no talks at any level whatsoever with the government" about pay. She urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to "come to the table and negotiate -- roll your sleeves up and negotiate on the pay in the NHS -- that is what's required."
Pat Cullen, head of the Royal College of Nursing union, also said a "meaningful" pay offer from the government could bring the strike "to a swift close."
The unions are seeking a pay raise for the current year, but the government says it will only talk about the year ahead. Health Secretary Steve Barclay urged unions to call off the strikes, "look forward and engage in a constructive dialogue" about pay for 2023-2024.
Monday's nursing strike affects England. In Scotland and Wales -- which have semiautonomous governments in charge of health policy -- unions have suspended walkouts while negotiations continue.
Sunak's government also has angered unions by introducing a bill that will make it harder for key workers to strike by setting "minimum safety levels" for firefighters, ambulance services and railways that must be maintained during a walkout.
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Pope Francis issued the fourth encyclical of his papacy on Thursday, denouncing a world that 'is losing its heart' during times of global turmoil marked by 'wars, socio-economic disparities and the uses of technology that threaten our humanity.'
Trash carried by a North Korean balloon fell on the presidential compound in central Seoul on Thursday, officials said, the second such case in recent months that raise concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean sites during potential North Korean aggression.
An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 16 people on Thursday, Palestinian medical officials said.
Turkiye鈥檚 air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.
The Justice Department warned Elon Musk鈥檚 America PAC in recent days that his US$1 million sweepstakes to registered voters in swing states may violate federal law, people briefed on the matter told CNN.
If you鈥檙e a regular visitor to Walt Disney World, your annual passes are going to cost you more. The resort in Orlando, Fla., hiked prices on all four levels of its passes on Wednesday.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
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Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.
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An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
A senior executive for Volkswagen in China has been deported for allegedly using cocaine and marijuana while on vacation in Thailand, according to Chinese authorities and German media reports.
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He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
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A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
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Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.
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Four people are dead and another is in hospital following a fiery crash in downtown Toronto that happened overnight on Lake Shore Boulevard.
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Quebec鈥檚 Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is investigating after police in Gatineau, Que. shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed an officer during an investigation.
The City of Ottawa is hoping to learn this week just how many residents in the capital are homeless.
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An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec's education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.
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The leader of Alberta's Official Opposition rolled up his sleeves for his COVID-19 and flu shots today, opting to receive them in front of media because he's concerned about vaccine uptake.
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Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gary Grewal is defending his conduct and disagreeing with a recent report from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner (COIC) 鈥 which found he broke rules that prohibit MLAs from being involved with government contracts.
Southey RCMP say drivers should expect delays on Highway 6 Wednesday night after a serious crash.
Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.
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The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
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In the Town of Tecumseh, residents and athletes alike are facing a pickleball problem that may prove costly.
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The Windsor Jewish Federation responded on Wednesday evening to a decision by the board of governors for the University of Windsor concerning its agreements with pro-Palestinian protesters.
Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.
When 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was struck and killed in a crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road in Saanich in 2021, the community was shaken to the core.
A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
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Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.
A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.
As part of anniversary celebrations, the City of Lethbridge is inviting the community to see VisitLethbridge.com Arena like they never have before.
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The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.
Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.
Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland earlier on the weekend.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
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