Half a Million Workers , Participate in Massive Strikes , Across the UK.<br />On February 1, the United Kingdom saw thousands <br />of people participate in the largest strike Britain <br />has experienced in over a decade.<br />NBC reports that the strikes come as unions <br />increase pressure on the government to demand <br />higher wages amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.<br />The strikes resulted in thousands of schools closing some <br />or all of their classrooms while train services were brought <br />to a standstill, and delays were expected at airports. .<br />According to the Trades Union Congress, <br />an estimated half a million workers participated <br />in the walkout across the U.K.<br />More strikes are reportedly planned <br />for the coming days and weeks, <br />which will include nurses and ambulance workers.<br />NBC reports that the last time the U.K. saw strikes <br />on this scale was in 2011 when over 1 million public <br />sector workers took part in a dispute over pensions.<br />According to union bosses, wages in <br />the public sector have failed to keep <br />pace with skyrocketing inflation.<br />On February 1, the Trades Union Congress <br />said that the average worker is about $250 <br />a month worse off than they were in 2010.<br />Currently, inflation in the U.K. <br />stands at 10.5%, the highest <br />it's been in 40 years. .<br />NBC reports that while some economists have <br />predicted price increases to slow in 2023, <br />the economic outlook for the U.K. remains grim. .<br />On January 31, the International Monetary <br />Fund forecast Britain to be the only major <br />economy to contract in the year to come.
