The number of working days lost to labor disputes in December amounted to 843,000, bringing the total number of strike days from June to December 2022 to 2,471,000, marking the highest number since 1989, UK broadcaster Sky News reported, citing data from the country's Office for National Statistics.
In 1989, over 4.1 million working days were lost due to numerous strikes by miners and railroad workers, the report read.
On December 13, media reported that the number of lost working days from January to November 2022 was the highest since 1990.
The UK has seen a series of strikes by civil servants over the past months as people express their dissatisfaction with the worsening economic situation caused by rising energy prices and soaring inflation in the country. Employees of railroad companies, post offices, airports, and lawyers, among others, are taking part in the strikes.
Since 2021, energy and food prices in Europe have been surging as part of a global trend in large part due to the COVID-19 restrictive measures. After the beginning of Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the West increased sanctions pressure on Russia. Disruption of supply chains has led to higher fuel and food prices in Europe and the United States, while rising living costs have hit millions of British households.