National Highways workers are latest to announce strike action over festive period

England’s National Highways workers have announced 12 days of strike action over Christmas and the New Year which could bring road networks to a grinding halt alongside national train strike action.

The National Highways employees, who plan, design, build, operate and maintain the country’s roads, will take part in a series of staggered strikes from 16 December to 7 January.

The action, which risks bringing the road network to a standstill, will coincide with planned strikes by RMT members on the railways and comes after 124 government departments and other public bodies voted for strike action over a 10% pay rise, pensions justice, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.

On Tuesday PCS Union announced the first of a series of strikes across the UK, with action being taken by driving instructors and workers at the Rural Payments Agency.

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: “We know our members’ action could inconvenience travellers who plan to visit their relatives over the festive period, but our members have been placed in this situation by a government that won’t listen to its own workforce.

“With the serious cost-of-living crisis they deserve to be paid properly for the important work they do, keeping our roads running safe and free. The government is in the driving seat here – it’s in a position to stop these strikes by putting money on the table.”

PCS will be announcing strike dates in other departments, including the Home Office, over the course of the next few weeks.