Summer of Discontent

Beginning in June 2022, The Summer of Discontent was a period of civil and industrial unrest that occurred throughout the UK, lasting some 4 months and punctuated by demonstrations, General Strikes, as well as the occupations across the UK. During the unrest, which has since become known as The Summer of Discontent, the economy of the UK came to a halt. The unrest was caused by widespred anger over record high infaltion, a new bill restricting trade union rights, public sector job cuts and a large decline in living standards in the UK. At the height of the strikes, some 16% of the workforce was on strike, with a further 29% unable to work due to disruption.

The unrest began with a series of Protests and Strikes against the Cost of Living Crisis, Austerity, job cuts and rising inequality. After a strong police response of protesters during a June the 18th TUC-led protest, momentum for further strikes grew, with new industrial action being announced from the CWU, ASLEF, Unite and TSSA within the coming month, alongside existing action by the RMT starting on the 23rd of June. Heavy critism of the police response, as well as outrage over the Chris Pincher scandal, cost of living crisis, and partygate events led to the 2022 UK Government Crisis, in which some 63 ministers resigned in protest over Prime Minister Boris Johnsons leadership, forcing his eventual resignation on July the 7th.

In July, with new strikes ballots and industrial action being announced on a seemingly weekly basis, many commentators began to refer to this period as the 'summer of discontent'. During a debate for the 2022 Tory Leadership Contest the two final candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss announced they would introduce a bill blocking strike action in key infrastructure on top of newly loosened agency worker restrictions, which was matched with threats of a general strike by the RMT. This, alongside the governments offer of a below inflation, 4% payrise for public sector workers further fueled industrial unrest in the UK. On the 27th of July, a Labour minister for transport Sam Tarry was sacked after joining a RMT picket line the same day, an act which inflamed tensions between the Labour Movement and Labour party. In response, 4 Labour affiliate unions announced cuts to funding for the party to the lowest level that would not force disaffiliation.

August saw further strike action took place, with BT and Royal Mail workers under the CWU, Bus drivers and Exammaniners under Unite, and Rail industry workers under ASLEF and RMT all engaging in strikes or ASOS. Notably, the NEU, Unison, BHA, UCU and CSU began balloting for a September public sector strike after rejecting a 4% pay offer. Civil unrest also spread during this month, with small and rapid acts of civil disobidence such as 15 miniute blockings of roads and infrastructure, protests and occupations being led by the P&J campaign, Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and more in anticipation of further Energy Price Cap rises, The climiate crisis and Cost of Living Crisis.

Events escalated rapidly during September, as the newly elected Prime Minister Liz Truss announced on the 10th September she would press on with a ban on strikes in 'key infrastrucutre', after disruption rose with the allegedly coordinated strikes in the education, rail, transport, health, communication, legal sectors and more within the first week alone. On the 18th of September, the TUC announced it had agreed for a general strike - the first in exactly 100 years - to take place from the 26th September, a move which was illegal. Rapid Ballots led to Unite, UCU, IWGB, NASWUT, NEU, RMT, ASLEF, UWV, and some UNISON & GMB branches backing the strike, with a unified demand for the Minimum Staffing Act 2022 to be withdrawn, a 9% Public Sector payrise and further action on the Cost of Living. On the 21st, the Labour Party announced its opposition to any strike, leading to the eventual disaffilation of the Unite, ASLEF, CWU and UCU unions, as well as the resignation of the Labour whip of 27 mostly SCG MPs to form the new For the Many group in parliament, which supported action.

On the 26th of September, the 2022 UK General Strike began, with almost 4 Million workers walking out. At its peak an 16% of the workforce were on strike, with a further, 34% being unable to work due to disruption. Solidarity protests by For the Many MPs, as well as civil disobidance also took place, aiming to boost pressure on the government. After it was leaked on the 29th sepember that the Energy Price Cap would rise by almost 70% to nearly £4500 a year in October - a nearly 400% rise from 2021, unions and activists backed the Don't Pay campaign, with further support from public figure Martin Lewis swelling support for the campaign. Negotiations were deadlocked during the first week, as Truss aimed to boost support by taking the Unions head-on. Indeed, a succesful injuction against the strike in the Supreme Court led to a raid of the TUC headquarters in London on the 28th September, aiming to temporarily detain TUC officals coordinating the strike. Although, the Raid was fiercely resisted after thousands of protesters surrounded the offices, blocking access to TUC officals and leadership for the police in an act which came to be known as the Battle of Congress Street.

Yet, after the Don't Pay movement spread, and energy price cap rise lead to further participation the strike than the first week, government in-action became untenable. On the 4th October 2022, the Truss government announced it was withdrawing the Minimum Staffing act, and would pass an economic package which would include an 8.5% public sector payrise and action on the cost of living. A ballot by the TUC the same day returned a 82% support for accepting the package, and so the general strike ended on the 5th October 2022, marking the end to the Summmer of Discontent, although individual disuputes led on after this date.

The unrest led to a rapid change in the UK social contract, with a resurgance of trade union membership, an increase in sectoral barganing and the 2023 Snap Election which saw the incumbent Conservative Government defeated. Anger at the reponse of Labour leader Keir Starmer, who condemned the General strike, amongst the trade union movement led some unions, including Unite, RMT, ASLEF, NASWUT, UCU, NEU and others to dissaffiliate from the Labour Party, with some backing the newly created Left-Wing Social Movement led by former Labour MP Ian Byrne and in alliance with the Green Party of England and Wales.