London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

UK loses total of 220,000 working days to strike action in January

UK loses total of 220,000 working days to strike action in January

The education sector was most affected by industrial action as teachers staged walkouts. Public sector wage growth continued to lag behind private sector increases but overall, workers continue to experience a real terms pay cut as double digit inflation persisted.

A total of 220,000 working days were lost to strike action in January, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

In the first month of this year, strike action was taken by teachers, rail workers, driving examiners, bus drivers and NHS staff.

The number is down on the 822,000 days lost to strikes in December 2022.


Unemployment remained steady at 3.7%, the same as last month and only a slight increase from a low not seen since 1974. The rate had been expected to increase to 3.8%, economist polled by Reuters forecast.

Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: "The number of working days lost to strikes fell in January from the very high level seen in December. Nevertheless, many days were still lost, with education the most affected sector."

Despite unemployment remaining low, the number of job vacancies fell for the eighth consecutive period by 51,000 to 1.1 million from December to February.

The fall reflects uncertainty across industries, as ONS respondents cited economic pressures as a factor in pausing or refraining from hiring.

Redundancies rose to pre-pandemic levels again. From November to January, the number of people reporting redundancy rose to 3.3 people per thousand employees.

Pay, including bonuses, rose 5.7% from November to January. But despite increased wages, workers are still earning less.


Real pay, including bonuses, fell 3.5% as wage and bonus growth failed to keep up with the increasing cost of goods.

Most recent official figures show inflation stands at 10.1%, meaning people are effectively earning less.

Pay rises differed across the economy and private sector wages continue to surpass public sector wage increases.

Private employers had their pay increased by an average of 7% while public sector workers only had a pay bump of 4.8%.

The numbers of people neither working nor seeking work, the economic inactivity rate, decreased to 21.3% in November 2022 to January 2023, down from 21.4% in the three months up to December. The decrease was driven by people aged 16 to 24.

Coming out of the pandemic the number of people neither working nor seeking work for a range of reasons had risen to more than nine million people, the equivalent of one-in-five working age adults.

Responding to the figures, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "The jobs market remains strong, but inflation remains too high. To help people's wages go further, we need to stick to our plan to halve inflation this year.

"Tomorrow at the budget, I will set out how we will go further to bear down on inflation, reduce debt and grow the economy, including by helping more people back into work."

Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Ashworth, also commented: "The Tories' abject failure to support people back to work means there are 234,000 fewer people in employment than before the pandemic.

"While other major economies have bounced back, Britain is languishing under the Tories - and families are paying the price.

"Labour is ambitious for Britain and has led the battle of ideas putting forward key welfare reforms to help get Britain back to work. We will support people into work and create good, new jobs across every part of the country."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×