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Largest walkout in decade: Half a million strike in UK demanding higher wages

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) take part in a march from Portland Place to Westminster in London. (AP)

Half a million workers went on strike in Britain on Wednesday, calling for higher wages in the largest such walkout in over a decade, closing schools and severely disrupting transport.

As Europe battles a cost-of-living crisis, Britain's umbrella labor organization the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called it the "biggest day of strike action since 2011".

The latest strikes come a day after more than 1.27 million took to the streets in France, increasing pressure on the French government over pension reform plans.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for pay rises to be "reasonable" and affordable" warning that big pay rises would jeopardize attempts to tame inflation.

But unions have accused millionaire Sunak of being out of touch with the challenges faced by ordinary working people struggling to make ends meet in the face of low-paid, insecure work and spiraling costs.

Teachers and train drivers were among the latest groups to act, as well as border force workers at UK air and seaports.

The latest official data shows 1.6 million working days were lost from June-November last year because of strikes – the highest six-month total in more than three decades – according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A total of 467,000 working days were lost to walkouts in November alone, the highest level since 2011, the ONS added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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