Rail workers have today begun the first of two 48-hour strikes this week as part of their long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
RMT members will not return to work until Thursday, before walking out again on Friday for another two-day strike.
It marks the start of more than two weeks of rolling industrial action which will also see nurses, Royal Mail employees, border force workers, driving examiners, teachers and ambulance drivers stage walkouts across the country.
With ministers refusing to meet public sector pay demands, the UK is braced for months disruption in what has been dubbed a 1970s-style winter of discontent.
Here are all the strikes due to take place this month.
Railways
As well as this week’s 48-hour walkouts, RMT members will stage a further walkout on Christmas Eve at 6am and won’t return to work until December 27.
In addition, the union has also said that two more 48-hour walkouts will happen on January 3 and 4, and on January 6 and 7.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “We remain available for talks in order to resolve these issues but we will not bow to pressure from the employers and the government to the detriment of our members.”
Downing Street urged the RMT to accept a deal including a 4% pay rise to follow this year’s 5%, and no compulsory redundancies until 2025, rather than the union’s “unaffordable” double-digit demands.
Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that the RMT has chosen to take further damaging action instead of recognising this is a generous and fair deal that could have brought this dispute to an end.
“We believe the RMT need to take this offer seriously. We’ve been fair and reasonable in our approach.”
NHS staff
The Royal College of Nursing confirmed last month that up to 100,000 of its members in England and Wales will walk out on December 15 and 20 - the first strike in the union’s 100-year history.
The RCN said nurses have had “enough of being taken for granted” as well as low pay and “unsafe” staffing levels.
Pat Cullen, the union’s general secretary, accused health secretary Steve Barclay of “belligerence” after he agreed to meet her yesterday for talks, but refused to discuss their pay demands.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine NHS trusts in England and Wales will take part in a walkout on December 21.
Armed forces personnel have been put on standby to drive ambulances that day.
Separately, paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other NHS staff will also walk out on December 28.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “After 12 years of Conservative cuts to the service and their pay packets, NHS staff have had enough.
“The last thing they want to do is take strike action but the government has left them with no choice.”
Royal Mail
Members of the Communication Workers Union will walk out on December 14, 15, 23 and 24 - throwing the Christmas mail into chaos.
The strikes follow a 48-walkout last month after workers rejected a 9% pay offer.
Border Force
The PCS union last week announced that its members were also going on strike over pay, with a walkout by Border Force officials set to bring chaos to airports across the country.
The industrial action begins on December 23 and lasts until December 31.
Once again, military personnel, as well as civil servants and government volunteers are being trained to support Border Force at airports and ports during the strike.