Poll shows more people blame Tories than workers for wave of winter strikes

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Research for Compassion in Politics revealed how divided voters are across parties when it comes to who they think is responsible for industrial action against Great Britain

Paramedics, ambulance technicians and call managers from nine NHS hospital trusts in England and Wales have stood down in a dispute over pay and staff (

Image: MARK THOMAS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

More people blame the government than the unions for this winter's wave of strikes, according to a poll revealed tonight.

Nurses, paramedics, railway workers, postal workers and border guards are among those organizing walkouts this month.

An Opinium online survey of 2,000 people for the think tank Compassion in Politics found that 41% believe the Conservatives are responsible, 35% say unions and 11% blame employers.

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However, the survey - seen exclusively by the Mirror - revealed a big divide between Tory and Labor voters over who they thought was to blame.

Around 65% of Conservative voters said unions were responsible, compared to just 13% of Labor voters.

Rail strikes paralyze the network several times in December (

Picture:

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Sixty-five percent of Labor supporters blamed the government, compared to just 19% of Tory supporters.

Compassion in Politics co-director Jeenifer Nadel said: "While some in government might have hoped to blame the strikes on workers and unions, our polls suggest the public thinks otherwise - and this shouldn't come as a surprise.

"People understand, often through personal experience and pain, that year-on-year pay cuts, a deepening cost-of-living crisis, and unstable working conditions can make working life intolerable.