Who is striking? How this coming week’s walkouts will affect you

It’s the week families across the UK gear up for Christmas – but before they settle down to turkey and sprouts, more industrial action must first be tackled.

In the coming days, ambulance drivers, nurses, driving examiners and road workers are on strike.

Then another strike by postal workers will disrupt last-minute delivery of cards and gifts – while further disruptions to railways from Christmas Eve will make traveling home a challenge for many.

This is a top edition of my latest strike briefing with lots of useful information on what is happening right now – and how it might affect you.

So what is next week looks like?

Above England, Wales and Northern IrelandNurses from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union go further Tuesday, December 20th.

The strike will involve workers in about a quarter of hospitals and community teams Englandall health authorities in it Northern Ireland and all but one inside Wales.

Union law requires life support care to be provided – so all caregivers are expected to work in services such as critical and emergency care.

However, the measure will affect routine services such as scheduled surgeries, district nursing and psychiatric care.

Watch Strikes Make Sense on iPlayer and learn more about why people are on strike and if industrial action works.

Ambulance personnel in most England and Wales will continue to strike Wednesday December 21st in the wage dispute.

The coordinated strike by the three main ambulance unions – Unison, GMB and Unite – only affects non-life threatening calls.

However, it could mean that people who have had trips and falls will not respond.

National Highways Traffic Officers in the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) work in London and the southeast of England will stop work 22nd to 25th December.

The strike affects the staff of the control center. Traffic officers who are on duty after accidents also stop working.

PCS says its ongoing program of strike action “will have a significant impact.” However, National Highways says no roads will be closed and “well-rehearsed resilience plans are in place.”

The next strike by Royal Mail workers is scheduled for December 23rd and 24th – some of the busiest days for pre-Christmas deliveries.

On strike days, Royal Mail says it cannot deliver first and second class letters.

However, as many parcels and letters with special delivery as possible will be delivered.

Royal Mail delivery offices and customer service points will be closed. Letters will not be collected from PO Boxes.

Border Force employees go on eight-day strike over Christmas Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester Airports and the port of New portwill also be affected.

The strike takes place from 23-26 and 28-31 December.

Heathrow has warned passport checks could take longer on strike days. The government says travelers could face “serious disruption”.

And if you’re thinking of booking a last-minute flight, here’s an extra snag in the works – British Airways and Virgin Atlantic halted sales of new one-way tickets to Heathrow on the days of the Border Force strikes.

The railway union RMT announced further strikes 18:00 GMT on Saturday 24 until 06:00 GMT on Tuesday 27 December.

Previous RMT strikes have had a major impact on services across England, Scotland and Wales.

Network Rail says passengers should check their train company’s website and only travel if absolutely necessary.

driver in south and west London who are in the Unite union and work for operator Abellio will resign on December 24 amid a pay dispute.

Areas affected include Battersea, Beddington, Hayes, Southall, Twickenham and Walworth.

Officials at the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) – including driver examiners and some employment agency workers – are on strike most days until early January.

But the industrial action is regional – different areas are affected each week. This week until 24th of December, the walk-outs will be in North West England and Yorkshire and Humber.

Some vehicle inspection and enforcement services may also be unavailable.

Check out our full rundown of all the strikes in December and January.

consequences Zoë Conway on Twitter

How are you affected by the strikes? Do you take part in strike action? You can send an email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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