The number of working days lost to strike action hit the highest in more than a decade in October, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS said that 417,000 working days were lost to industrial action in October – the highest monthly level since November 2011.
Overall, the total number of working days that have been lost to people walking out in disputes since June - when the ONS restarted collecting data following Covid - reached 1.2mln days.
It is the worst five months since April 1990.
The toll is only set to rise as the 2022 “Winter of Discontent” ramps up with more disruption on the rail networks, plus strikes by nurses, border staff and ambulance workers amongst those walking out.
The ONS figures also showed that a gulf has formed between private and public sector pay growth.
Average weekly wages not including bonuses grew by 6.9% in the private sector compared to the corresponding period in 2021 – the largest growth rate ever seen for the private sector outside of the pandemic period.
However, regular pay in the public sector increased by only 2.7%.