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Advance UK News Diary

December 12-18: Strike action intensifies, World Cup final and SA parliament considers Ramaphosa impeachment

NHS demonstration
December 9, 2022
  • Slice 1

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News. Delivered to your inbox on Fridays.

Leading the week 

Strikes continue to intensify next week as hundreds of thousands of nurses belonging to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) take strike action on Thursday (December 15) for the first time in the union’s 106-year history. The strike – which spans across all NHS employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with the exception of one Welsh trust – is part of an ongoing pay dispute, with the RCN calling for a pay rise of five per cent above RPI inflation levels after research showed nurses were 20 per cent worse off in real terms since 2010.  Strains on the healthcare system this Christmas could be exacerbated further depending on the results of a Royal College of Midwives ballot on strike action, which closes on Monday (December 12). 

The season of Christmas cheer may be snuffed out for many hoping to navigate the UK’s transport network this week as strike action by Network Rail staff belonging to the RMT is poised to cause disruption from Tuesday through Saturday (December 13-17), after union head Mick Lynch claimed train operators were forced into withdrawing a prospective offer for RMT members. Network Rail control room operators, TSSA rail staff and Eurostar workers are all taking coinciding action on the same dates. Strikes are by no means limited to nurses and rail workers – a full list of disruption next week includes: 

  • Royal Mail staff (CWU), December 11, 14 and 15  
  • Avanti West Coast train managers (RMT), December 11-12 
  • Royal College of Midwives ballot closes, December 12 
  • NHS Scotland ballot closes (Unite), December 12 
  • Network Rail and Eurostar workers (RMT, Unite and TSSA), December 13, 14, 16 and 17  
  • Rural Payments Agency customer service staff (PCS), December 13-16 
  • DVSA staff (PCS), December 13-18  
  • Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (RCN), December 15 
  • Engineers on Great Western Railway (Unite), December 15 
  • Abellio bus drivers in London (Unite), December 16-17 
  • Ground handling staff at Heathrow (Unite), December 16-19 
  • National Highways staff working in North-West England, North-East England and Yorkshire and the Humber (PCS), December 16 and 17 
England fan holds It's Coming Home sign and fake world cup trophy

We’re getting to the business end of the tournament as the Qatar World Cup enters its final stages, with knockout ties continuing next week ahead of the showpiece finale on Sunday (December 18). The early exits of European heavyweights Germany, Belgium and Spain and a stuttering start by potential final opponents Argentina mean England are firmly among the favourites to lift the trophy, though their reward for a round of 16 victory over Senegal is a tough quarter-final clash with 2018 winners France this weekend, before a potential semi-final against Portugal or surprise package Morocco on Wednesday (December 14). Away from the sporting action, the death of a Filipino man at a training venue this week was a reminder of the controversy surrounding the lacklustre responses from FIFA and the host nation to migrant worker deaths in the lead up to the tournament. 


Looking abroad 

The South African parliament meets on Tuesday (December 13) to debate whether to hold impeachment proceedings for President Cyril Ramaphosa in the wake of a November 30 report which found evidence that he may have violated the constitution and his oath of office over a $4 million burglary at his Phala Phala farm. While it initially seemed Ramaphosa would resign over the report, he has been buoyed by his party’s support after the African National Congress declared its Assembly members would not vote for impeachment; he has now challenged the findings in the Constitutional Court and insists he will stand for the ANC’s leadership at its conference beginning on Friday (December 16) ahead of elections next year. 

Cyril Ramaphosa stands in front of South African flag

EU leaders meet for their last summit of the year on Thursday and Friday (December 15-16) with Ukraine and energy unsurprisingly leading the agenda. Discussions on Ukraine are likely to be heated after Hungary blocked approval of an €18 billion aid package on Tuesday in retaliation for an unprecedented European Commission recommendation to freeze €7.5 billion in budget funds for Budapest over failed corruption reforms.  Leaders are also due to discuss the continent’s gas supply, with a focus on joint purchases and pooling demand in preparation for next winter; they may also try to make progress on a gas price cap agreement, depending on the state of negotiations after energy ministers meet on Tuesday (December 13). Also keep an eye out for a decision on candidacy status for Bosnia and Herzegovina following a recommendation from the Commission and calls for more investment in defence capacity. 


 

Also look out for

December 12

UK GDP monthly estimate 

IFS annual report on education spending 

Metro mayors at committee session on Levelling Up funding 

Golden Globe nominations announced 

EU foreign ministers meet 

December 13

Bank of England Financial Stability Report 

Sadiq Khan at LA committee session on Cressida Dick departure 

Welsh Government draft budget 

EU energy ministers meet on gas price cap 

Ofsted annual report 

FIFA World Cup semi-final 

December 14

Final PMQs of 2022 

UK inflation figures 

Sir Mark Rowley at committee on work of the Met police commissioner 

Chief of the Defence Staff lecture to RUSI 

Sentencing of man convicted of murdering Zara Aleena 

Volodymyr Zelensky address to European parliaments 

December 15

David Frost delivers Margaret Thatcher Centre lecture 

Stretford and Urmston by-election 

Scottish Government budget announcement 

Princess of Wales hosts Together at Christmas carol concert 

Part two of Harry & Meghan Netflix series released 

World Darts Championship 

December 16

Stretford and Urmston by-election result 

US hearing in FTX bankruptcy case 

House of Lords debate on BBC funding report 

December 17

Deadline for decision on extension to Covid-19 patents waiver 

England v Pakistan third test match 

Leo Varadkar replaces Micheál Martin as Taoiseach 

Parliamentary elections in Tunisia 

December 18

Chanukah 

International Migrants Day 

Statistics, reports & results

December 12

UK trade 

IEA monthly oil market report 

OECD unemployment rates 

Results from: Oracle Corporation 

December 13

UK labour market statistics 

Annual statistics on schools in Scotland 

Universal credit statistics 

G20 quarterly GDP 

BRC retail jobs report 

OPEC Monthly Oil Markets report 

December 14

House Price Index 

Life expectancy in Scotland, 2019-2021 

National Student Survey update 

CPJ annual census of imprisoned journalists

Results from: TUI Group, Inditex 

December 15

Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 

Transport statistics for Great Britain (2022) 

English Housing Survey (2021/22) 

Drug misuse in England and Wales (ONS) 

Ofcom International Broadband Scorecard 

China monthly economic data 

Argentina Q3 GDP 

Results from: Currys plc 

December 16

IEA Coal 2022 report 

UK retail sales 

Flash UK PMI 

GfK consumer confidence barometer 

EU inflation 

Anniversaries and Awareness Days

December 12

Universal Health Coverage Day 

December 13

Rishi Sunak surpasses Liz Truss' time in office

Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day (China) 

December 14

10 years ago: Sandy Hook massacre 

December 16

Chocolate Covered Anything Day 

December 17

Pope Francis turns 86 

Tunisian Revolution and Youth Day 

December 18

Qatar National Day 

3 years ago: President Trump impeached by House of Representatives 

50 years ago : Neilia and Naomi Biden died 


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