Health care workers in the UK have announced a new series of strikes in January 2023 as their long-standing dispute with the government over pay and working conditions continues.

The new strikes will put even more pressure on the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), which is already under pressure due to a shortage of staff and a large number of patients.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters he was disappointed with the unrest caused by the strikes, adding that he was trying to “make the right long-term decisions for the country for the benefit of all.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Nursing Union has announced that thousands of its members will strike again on January 18 and 19 for higher wages, after another strike in December.

“I don’t want to drag this argument out, but the Prime Minister has left us no choice,” RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said today.

The dates for the Scottish nurses’ union strike are also expected to be announced in the new year.

Ambulance workers, represented by the GMB union, have set January 11 as the new action date following the cancellation of a strike scheduled for December 28.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.