A new winter of discontent?

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( December 07, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Rishi Sunak under pressure to step in to avert strikes in ‘winter of discontent’]( Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure to intervene and stop a wave of strikes threatening a new winter of discontent this Christmas. Last hopes of averting walkouts by rail workers next week were dashed after a deadline for agreement passed without the resolution of a row over pay and working practices. And unions announced coordinated strikes by healthcare staff, including ambulance workers, on 21 and 28 December – the first of them coming a day after the first stoppage by nurses in generations.   2 / [Strep A concerns create ‘carnage’ and ‘eyewatering demand’ for the NHS]( ‘We don’t know where this wave is going to end up. So we have to take it seriously,’ says paediatric epidemiologist 3 / [Ministers commit to publishing Michelle Mone PPE documents as she takes leave of absence from Lords]( Tory peer to step away from upper house to ‘clear her name’ 4 / [Trump Organization found guilty on criminal tax fraud charges]( Ex-US president has not been found guilty of any crimes himself but his companies could have trouble getting loans or doing business in the future 5 / [Brexit adding to ‘crippling’ UK food supply crisis, say farming chiefs]( Fruit and veg supply could be ‘in trouble’, says NFU union     The Big Question How will December’s industrial action affect you? Britain has had a difficult time of it in 2022, emerging from two years in the grip of the coronavirus only to be confronted by a dire [cost of living crisis]( defined by runaway [inflation]( and rocketing [energy bills]( exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, as Christmas approaches, we find ourselves in a new “winter of discontent” with the country’s unions, representing workers from a wide range of public-facing professions, concluding that they have no choice but to undertake [industrial action]( as their calls for improved pay and working conditions go unanswered while rising prices erode earnings. The Rail, Maritime and Transport ([RMT]() union has [organised strike days throughout December]( and into January, as 40,000 workers down tools at one of the busiest periods of the year in a bid to force improved terms. [For the full story and strike dates click here >](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](. Watch/ [Patient plays guitar in hospital bed after having first UK double lung transplant for Covid complications](   NUMBER OF THE DAY -10C [Snow]( is set to sweep large parts of the UK on Wednesday as forecasters warn of severely cold weather. Temperatures could plunge below minus 10C in some areas later this week as sub-zero nights set in across the country, the [Met Office]( said. [Read more here](   QUOTE OF THE DAY “Perhaps the Gods think I am becoming too self-important, because they have delivered a new humiliation: I am having to work from the kids; treehouse.” – Former Health Secretary [Matt Hancock]( has claimed he worked from his [children](’s treehouse during the [height]( of the [Covid](pandemic. [Read more here](     Other stories you might like   [£45m drug smuggling plot foiled by gangster’s photo of pet dog](   [Who needs Ronaldo? Goncalo Ramos hat-trick powers Portugal into World Cup quarter-finals](   [Matt Lucas quits Great British Bake Off after it ‘became clear’ he could no longer host](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers Dr Jess Garland, The Independent -[Why you should care about a reformed House of Lords](   Other newsletters you might like [The Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Sign up]( [Inside Politics] Inside Politics Weekdays, 8am (UK time) Written by Matt Mathers [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.