About 500,000 UK Workers Set to Hold Mass Strike on February 1, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Close to half a million workers in the United Kingdom will stage a mass strike on February 1 demanding higher wages amid a record surge in the cost of living, which could be one of the country's largest rallies in more than 10 years, UK media reported on Monday.

The protest is expected to encompass teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university teachers, bus drivers and security guards, the report said.

Earlier in the month, the ASLEF train drivers' union announced strikes on February 1 and 3, with over 40,000 members of the UK's Rail, Maritime and Transport union expected to join them. The protests will also be attended by around 1,900 bus drivers in London.

In addition, 300,000 teachers from the National Education Union will join pickets on Wednesday, the report said. This will be the largest teacher strike in history, expected to affect 24,000 schools, the union said.

Moreover, at least 100,000 UK civil servants from the Public and Commercial Services Union will take protest action on Wednesday.

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, have been taking part in the strikes.