A YouGov poll published in December showed two-thirds of Britons supported the nurses’ strike. A majority of those surveyed said the government is most to blame for the action and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could suffer if the disruption lasts until 2023.
Mick Lynch, head of the RMT rail union, said the government was satisfied with the strikes continuing.
“All parties involved know what needs to be done to reach a settlement, but the government is blocking it,” Lynch told the BBC.
The government has called on union bosses to return to the negotiating table, noting that strikes are taking a toll on businesses that depend on commuters, such as coffee shops and pubs in city centres.
Transport Minister Mark Harper told Times Radio, “The way you work out a deal is to get trade unions and employers around the negotiating table, not on the picket line and that’s what I want to see.”