Rishi Sunak under pressure to intervene to avoid strikes in 'winter of discontent'

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Rishi Sunak is under increasing pressure to intervene and stop a wave of strikes threatening another winter of discontent this Christmas.

Last hopes of averting walkouts by rail workers next week were wiped out after a deadline for an agreement expired without resolving a dispute over wages and working practices.

And unions announced coordinated strikes by healthcare workers, including paramedics, on December 21 and 28 - the first of them coming a day after nurses' first stoppage in generations.

Deputy Chief of Labor Party Angela Rayner said the railway unrest was ‘a shambles on the part of the government’, while the party’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused ministers of seeking to use workers from health on strike as "speakable goat" sary" for chaos in the NHS.

But Health Secretary Steve Barclay insisted his "door is open" for talks with healthcare workers. And Mr Sunak's official spokesman said the power to avoid disruption "rested with the unions".

Downing Street said "important planning meetings" were underway at the within government to manage potential disruption.

>Unions have said ministers could end NHS strikes 'in the blink of an eye' if they get involved in pay talks .

And RMT union leader Mick Lynch said the rail employers' hands were tied by ministers who would not allow them to make a "proper" offer.

Representing Trust Leaders, NHS Providers Acting Chief Executive Saffron Cordery said the announcement of the shutdown dates "underlines the absolute urgency of the need for government and union leaders to step up around the table to find a solution to avoid these strikes".

And the syndi Doctors' cat, the British Medical Association, has also called on ministers to get involved. BMA chairman Professor Philip Banfield said: 'Only by listening and negotiating in good faith with NHS staff will the government have any hope of fixing a health system that it left in dire straits."

Awaited talks between RMT and employers failed to materialize...