Day of disruption in UK as hundreds of thousands join strike

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Up to half a million workers are estimated to be on strike across the U.K. in the biggest day of industrial action Britain has seen in more than a decade. Thousands of schools closed some or all of their classrooms, train services are paralyzed and delays are expected at airports as teachers, university staff, civil servants, border officials and train and bus drivers join a mass walkout. Wednesday’s strikes mark an escalation of disruptive action across multiple key industries. Unions are stepping up pressure on the government to demand better pay. They argue that wages have stagnated for a decade and failed to keep pace with soaring inflation.