Strikes unfair at Christmas, Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi says

It is unfair for unions to "disrupt people's lives" with public-sector strikes astatine Christmas, Conservative president Nadhim Zahawi has said.

He told the BBC the authorities had contingency plans to minimise disruption from concern action.

The subject could beryllium drafted successful to thrust ambulances and unafraid the country's borders, Mr Zahawi said.

Thousands of workers from assorted industries are acceptable to onslaught this period successful disputes implicit wage and conditions.

Some unions accidental wage should lucifer the outgo of living, which is expanding astatine its fastest complaint successful 40 years, mostly arsenic a effect of rising nutrient and vigor prices.

Some of the astir high-profile strikes person been called by unions representing workers successful the NHS, the railways and the Royal Mail.

Elsewhere, rail strikes volition beryllium held crossed 4 48-hour periods successful December and January, leaving passengers facing terrible disruption to Christmas travel.

In an interrogation connected the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Zahawi was asked what the authorities was doing to extremity the strikes.

The curate said Russian President Vladimir Putin's warfare successful Ukraine - which has sent vigor costs soaring - was the main operator of rising prices and unit connected pay.

He suggested immoderate of the wage rises demanded would further changeable ostentation - which is the summation successful the terms of thing implicit clip - which would "hurt the astir vulnerable".

The authorities has repeatedly urged unions and employers to negociate settlements and halt onslaught action, saying it tin not spend wage rises to screen inflation.

But unions accidental workers person faced real-terms cuts to wage implicit galore years and merit a just woody that reflects the existent outgo of living.

When asked what the authorities would bash to assistance the nationalist woody with the interaction of the strikes, Mr Zahawi said "we are operationalising contingency plans".

Those plans see grooming astir 2,000 subject unit and civilian servants to enactment a scope of services - including the Border Force astatine airports and ports - successful the lawsuit of onslaught action.

The authorities is besides readying for the imaginable deployment of subject unit to roles including ambulance driving and firefighting.

"It's unfair, successful my view, for the unions to truly harm and disrupt people's lives and livelihoods astatine Christmas," Mr Zahawi told Laura Kuenssberg.

"They should rethink and bespeak connected this due to the fact that that is precisely what Putin wants to see. Let's not divide, let's travel together."

Opposition parties accidental the authorities is deflecting the blasted for the strikes aft refusing to springiness workers a just wage rise.

"It is ludicrous and insulting to suggest Vladimir Putin is liable for nurses going connected strike," said Cabinet Office spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Christine Jardine.

"The work lies firmly with this Conservative government's shambolic nonaccomplishment to find a solution."

The shadiness acquisition secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said determination was a compromise to beryllium had connected teachers' pay.

The authorities has offered teachers wage awards of betwixt 5% and 8.9%, depending connected their position, but acquisition workers accidental this is obscurity adjacent capable to code a real-terms wage chopped and the interaction of ostentation moving astatine much than 10%.

Pressed connected wherever the compromise should beryllium reached, Ms Phillipson told the programme: "It's often determination successful the mediate and that's wherefore it's a process of dialog astir wage but besides astir presumption and conditions."

Ms Phillipson said important decisions were not being taken "because of the chaos that we've seen" astatine the bosom of authorities this year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who took bureau astir a period ago, is grappling with an economical situation and a recession predicted to past astatine slightest a year.

His party's ratings successful the polls person slumped good beneath those of Labour, whose campaigner won a by-election successful Chester with a ample bulk earlier this week.

The 13.6% plaything from Conservatives to Labour successful the Chester by-election would beryllium capable for Labour to signifier a authorities if the effect was replicated successful a nationalist poll.

When asked astir the result, Mr Zahawi said determination was "no shying distant from the information that the interior challenges of the Conservative enactment has astir apt led to the spread successful the polls".

He said the enactment was undertaking "a rebuilding exercise" aft a play of turmoil nether erstwhile Prime Minister Liz Truss, who resigned implicit the instability caused by her mini-budget.