UK healthcare workers calling in sick because of high fuel costs
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Head of UK UNISON voices concerns over the inability of low-wage health and care workers to fill their tanks.
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A liter of petrol at UK forecourts reached a record number on Wednesday. (AFP)
The head of the UK’s largest trade union has warned that low-wage health and care workers are calling in sick because they can't afford to fill up their cars with gas to get to work.
British PM Boris Johnson stated Thursday that the UK economy was "steering into the wind," but warned against a "wage-price spiral" as the cost of a tank of fuel reached a new high of $125.
On her account, General Secretary of the public sector union Unison Christina McAnea said that some of her members are likely to strike in the coming months as the cost of living crisis bites.
Her warning comes as members of the RMT union are set to strike, causing travel chaos later this month. Aslef and the TSSA, two other unions representing drivers and support staff, are also considering strike action later this summer, raising the prospect of a complete national shutdown.
The prime minister has formally pledged to transform the UK into a "high wage economy," but he warned on Thursday that matching wage increases to inflation in the current environment risks a "wage-price spiral" akin to the 1970s.
Ministers are expected to announce a slew of public-sector pay agreements, including one for nurses, in the coming weeks.
It is worth noting that the average price of a liter of petrol at UK forecourts reached a new high of 182.3p on Wednesday, according to Experian Catalist data.
