All the UK strike dates confirmed for April 2023

Teachers joining junior doctors, Passport Office staff and driving examiners in taking action this month

Thursday 27 April 2023 14:22 BST

Schools face more strikes as teachers reject government pay offer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Britain is bracing itself for two more days of teachers’ strikes on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May, immediately after the May Day bank holiday, after the National Education Union (NEU) rejected the government’s latest pay offer earlier this month, branding it “insulting”.

Following a period of intensive talks with unions, the government had offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year.

However, the NEU said a members ballot had returned an “overwhelming” 98 per cent vote in favour of rejecting the deal from a 66 per cent turnout, urging education secretary Gillian Keegan to return to the table with an improved offer.

With no agreement forged, teachers will walk out for their fourth and fifth strike days of the year, the earlier demonstrations leaving around half of England’s 22,000 schools closed or partially closed, creating problems for both children and working parents.

April has already seen the NHS hit by a four-day junior doctors strike that was trailed as “the most disruptive industrial action in NHS history” by Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director.

That was just the latest instance of industrial action after a long winter in which thousands of British workers from a host of public-facing professions, from train drivers to NHS nurses, civil servants and postal workers, demanded salary increases and improved working conditions in response to the cost of living crisis.

While some of the disputes have been resolved – criminal barristers in England and Wales and London bus drivers have accepted improved offers, for instance – and RMT rail strikes have been suspended for now, many more unions are still planning new strikes.

Here is a list of all the walkouts we have seen in April 2023.

Monday 3 April

More than 1,000 HM Passport Office workers belonging to the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) in England, Scotland and Wales begin a five-week strike in a dispute about jobs, pay and conditions lasting until 5 May, with their counterparts in Northern Ireland joining them on the picket line from Friday 7 April.

Heathrow Terminal Five security staff represented by Unite continue to strike.

Tuesday 4 April

Passport Office strike by PCS members continues.

Heathrow security staff strike continues.

Wednesday 5 April