Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday, urging the British government to take drastic actions to resolve the surging prices of goods and services in the country.
Huge crowds gathered in London for the demonstration, which demanded that the government do more to assist the laborers whose wages cannot keep up with the rising inflation, according to a report published by PBS.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been blasted for his tardy response to the cost-of-living crisis. As a result of Russia's war in Ukraine, energy and food basics such as wheat have become scarce in the United Kingdom and Europe. Before the war, prices were already rising due to strong consumer demand following the worldwide economic recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic.
Protesters brought banners with messages "end fuel poverty, insulate homes now" and "cut war, not welfare."
Harshest Wage Pressure in Modern History
According to the TUC, an umbrella body for labor unions that coordinated the protest, there is "harrowing" evidence of the crisis' impact on families, with employees facing the "longest and harshest" wage pressure in modern history, per The Guardian.
The organization said laborers lost about 20,000 pounds ($24,450) in real terms since 2008 because pay has not yet kept up with inflation.
A statistics firm reported that the average cost of filling up a regular family automobile exceeds 100 pounds ($125), which reflect the pressure on the budget of households.
One social care worker from Birmingham joined the rally to express her frustration and anger at the slow action of the government in addressing the inflation surge.
Yvonne Thomas said she's struggling to make ends meet due to skyrocketing bills. She also feels that the government has forgotten her despite putting herself at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is not acceptable today in the 21st century. This government needs to do something for care workers. We deserve better."
We have worked through the pandemic. All through the pandemic and we did not receive recognition from our provider to say "Thank you for the hard work that you have done." she said in an interview with Sky News.
"We now have teaching assistants ringing in saying that they can't afford to come in. We've got admin staff saying we can't afford the cost of transport to get in," he said.
UK Train Strike Scheduled
Meanwhile, Sky News reported biggest rail strike for more than three decades that threatens to "shut down the system" will take place in the coming days.
Thousands of RMT members will go on strike on June 21, 23, and 25 to protest three significant issues: salary, mandatory redundancies, and workplace safety.
The train strike is expected to disrupt many key events, including the return of the world's largest music festival for the first time since 2019, international sporting events, and talks with Commonwealth leaders.
Because of the knock-on effects on trains and staff, services are expected to be disrupted throughout the week.
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