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Yesterday's nurses' strikes led to some "real pressure points" in emergency departments around the country, according to Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS providers which represents trusts in England.

She says around 40-60% of routine operations were cancelled in places where the strikes were held, in order to "keep patients safe so there's available staff in emergency departments and other places they're needed".

"It's fair to say there's been a relatively significant impact. It was a very demanding day overall on the front line in the NHS," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.

Outpatient appointments held up better with lower levels of cancellations, but it was "overall a pretty mixed picture with widespread impact," she adds.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated, external the average salary of rail workers in 2022 as £45,919, based on five different job categories.

If drivers are excluded, its estimate is £39,518.

The RMT said that figure was inaccurate and still too high because it excluded rail cleaning staff who are not categorised as rail workers by the ONS.

• Read more: How much are rail workers paid?

Image source, .

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

With strikes affecting many pockets of people’s lives – from the post they send, to their travel and healthcare, the pressure on the government to resolve them is mounting.

The government is digging its heels in, arguing that the pay rises unions want could fuel inflation and push up prices even more.

Ministers are also considering tougher new anti-strike laws in the new year. We know for example they are exploring the idea of significantly restricting or even banning the right of some employees – like ambulance workers – from striking and whether to expand the legal amount of service that some workers have to provide on strike days.

But some of their own Tory MPs fear this line is looking harder to hold.

Some have said the government should improve its pay offer for nurses.

There are likely two calculations here – one that these strikes will not go away any time soon unless ministers agree to talk to unions about pay. They’re refusing to do this at the moment, even if they say they will talk about things like how to make the NHS a better place to work.

Secondly, some MPs are conscious there is public sympathy for workers like nurses when the cost of living is so high – and they are asking to be paid 5% more than the rate at which goods, services and mortgages are going up by.

If you’re struggling to keep across the latest strike action, we’ve produced a daily update to keep you up to speed with what’s happening today.

The BBC’s Employment Correspondent, Zoe Conway, is keeping on top of things, and as she points out, it’s not just trains that are being affected.

You can read her latest take here.

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Things are looking somewhat better if you’re planning to fly in out of Heathrow Airport this weekend.

A 72-hour strike by baggage handlers from staff working for Menzies Aviation has been called off after talks between the private contractor and the Unite union.

Unite said the decision was a "gesture of goodwill" after a revised pay offer, which it will now ballot members on.

Read more on the dispute here.

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Drivers in south and west London who are in the Unite union and work for operator Abellio will walk out for 48 hours in a dispute over pay.

Areas affected include Battersea, Beddington, Hayes, Southall, Twickenham and Walworth.

Unite said it had invited Abellio, external to pay talks in September but had no response, and accused the company of paying among the lowest rates for bus drivers in London, causing a severe "retention crisis".

Transport for London (TfL) has urged Unison and Abellio to work together to avoid disruption for Londoners.

Having already walked out on 22, 25, and 26 November, and 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 December - the final two days of strike action are today and Saturday.

Read more on the bus drivers’ dispute here

Tom Edgington
BBC News

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Trade unions are organisations which help workers negotiate with employers.

They often help employees ask for more pay, or better working conditions. Unions also represent members who have problems at work, or who are facing a disciplinary procedure.

If negotiations with employers do not work, a trade union's members might decide to take action such as a strike.

Unions exist across many industries, including firefighting, teaching and transport.

After peaking at 13.2 million in 1979, union membership has fallen significantly over past decades - although the rate of decline has slowed.

In 2021, almost one in four UK workers (23%) were union members - a total of 6.4 million people, according to government statistics., external

But what are the rules for taking part in industrial action? Read more here.

Find out the weather forecast for your area, with an hourly breakdown and a 14-day lookahead, by downloading the BBC Weather app: Apple , external- Android, external - Amazon, external

The BBC Weather app is only available to download in the UK.

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It’s not just rail passengers who will feel the brunt of today’s transport disruption. They will be joined those travelling by road in northern England and on buses in parts of London.

National Highways traffic officers in the Public and Commercial Services Union working in north-west England, north-east England, and Yorkshire and the Humber will stop work for 48 hours, external.

National Highways says no roads will be closed and it has "well-rehearsed resilience plans in place".

About 125 out of 1,500 operational staff will take part - 10-25 people per region.

The strike will involve members of control centre staff who monitor the road network's CCTV and do a number of jobs including programming the electronic warning signs we see on major roads.

Traffic officers who work in the aftermath of accidents will also stop work.

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

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With inflation now beginning to fall, the government and employers might be hoping to temper some of the wage demands that have helped fuel the current wave of industrial strife.

That seems unlikely, however.

Overall inflation - the rate at which prices rise - eased slightly last month but the cost of living is still very high and rising at its fastest pace in 40 years. It may only decline slowly.

Also, the government has already said that state pensions will rise in April by more than 10%.

Its bigger argument, however, is about sparking a "wage-price" spiral. This is when wage rises help force prices up, and the overall problem lasts for years, rather than months.

This happened in the 1970s, but so far there is no evidence of this occurring again.

Back then, the surge in wages came before the rise in prices.

Wage growth was already in double digits at the start of the 1970s, whereas price inflation reached that level three years later.

What we have now is very different. Prices are going up very fast because of supply chain issues and the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine on energy supplies.

Read more here.

Image source, Reuters

Members of the UK's biggest rail union, the RMT, walked out at midnight for 48 hours, hitting services throughout England, Scotland and Wales today and Saturday. If you must travel:

• Make sure you check with your rail operator, external before setting out to see what trains are running
• Be prepared for no services at all on some routes
• Be prepared for no early morning or late night services on other routes
• Expect busy carriages with only one in five services operating between 07:30 and 18:30 GMT

The union is also planning further action over Christmas and in the New Year.

You can find out more about how Friday’s strikes will affect you here.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

Rail passengers have felt the brunt of transport disruption so far this week - and a new, 48-hour strike is now under way.

Members of the UK's biggest rail union the RMT are striking until the end of Saturday, hitting services throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

They will be joined by National Highways traffic officers, external in some areas of the UK, as well as driving test examiners and some bus drivers in south and west London.

It comes as the cold snap continues to cause problems for people across the UK with forecasters predicting that most of the UK will see a blanket of snow over the weekend before things start warming up.

Stay with us for all the latest this morning.