20 January 2023 , 16:38
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Voters have accused Rishi Sunak of being absent from efforts to end the strikes causing widespread disruption to rail travel, the NHS and schools.
Only a quarter (25%) believe the government is acting with urgency to resolve the disputes, compared to 49% who think the opposite.
Half (49%) believe the PM has been absent, with only 15% who disagreed.
The poll, conducted by Redfield and Wilton poll for the Mirror, found 39% support the teachers’ strike compared to 32% who oppose it.
Up to 23,000 schools are set to be affected as members of the National Education Union begin a series of walkouts on February 1.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
University lecturers, civil servants and train drivers are also planning strikes on the same day.
Teachers will join hundreds of thousands of public sector workers striking on February 1 (Getty Images)TUC general secretary Paul Nowak has called for an urgent meeting with the PM in an attempt to end the walkouts across the public sector, but his invitation has been ignored.
Health bosses today pleaded with Tory ministers to finally offer NHS staff an improved pay deal to avert further industrial action.
Tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance workers will walk out on the biggest NHS strike day in history next month.
The Unite union this morning said its members who are paramedics and 999 call handlers will take part in action on February 6.
They join the Royal College of Nursing and ambulance crews in the GMB union, who have already announced walkouts on the same day.
It will mark the first time nurses and paramedics have headed to the picket line at the same time.
More than 30,000 nursing staff and 12,600 ambulance workers are expected to take part.
Miriam Deakin, director of policy at NHS Providers, said: “Trust leaders are facing what for many may be the most challenging day of their careers.
Rishi Sunak has ignored an invitation from TUC general secretary Paul Nowak to hold talks on ending the strikes (PA)“Nobody wants these strikes to happen but it's clear that staff feel they have been driven to this. We understand that.
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“It's absolutely imperative that the Government sit down with the unions immediately to resolve this by talking about pay for this financial year."
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham accused ministers of “demonising ambulance workers” instead of “negotiating to end the dispute”.
"It's this Government's disastrous handling of the NHS that has brought it to breaking point and, as crisis piles on crisis, the Prime Minister is seen to be washing his hands of the dispute,” she said.
Onay Kasab, the union’s national lead officer, added: “The resolution to this dispute is in the government’s hands. This dispute will only be resolved when it enters into proper negotiations about the current pay dispute.”
A spokesman for the Prime Minister called it "disappointing" that strike action would take place amid major strains on the NHS, but said that the Government was committed to reaching a "resolution".
"We've said throughout this period that we know it will cause disruption to patients, which is why the NHS and unions will continue discussions about contingency planning to ensure we can keep people safe,” he said.
"What we want to do is reach a resolution and come to an agreement between the employers and the unions to end the industrial action that we've seen over recent weeks and months."
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