The UK Government plans to hold Cobra meetings amid unprecedented strike action taking place across the country this month.
This comes as the government draws up contingency plans to use military staff and civil servants to cover for striking Border Force workers at airports.
The government recently confirmed that the military and civil service are being trained to continue passport services as strikes by nurses, rail workers, postal staff, and paramedics intensify.
Staff at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, and Cardiff airports will strike for eight days from December 23 to New Year’s Eve.
The government also confirmed that the armed forces will be deployed to hospital trusts across the country to help them get used to emergency vehicles ahead of ambulance strikes on December 21.
READ MORE: Border Force staff to take strike action over Christmas
READ MORE: Rail Strike Dates December 2022: When are they taking place?
Oliver Dowden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will lead the first two Cobra meetings next week which are to be attended by transport, health, home office, and defence ministers.
Dowden called for trade unions to call off “damaging” strikes, adding: “The stance the unions have taken will cause disruption for millions of hardworking people over the coming weeks.
“The Government will do all it can to mitigate the impact of this action, but the only way to stop the disruption completely is for union bosses to get back round the table and call off these damaging strikes.
“Although departments are responsible for plans in individual sectors, it is right that the Cabinet Office coordinates a cross-Government response.
“I will be chairing a series of Cobra meetings over the coming weeks to ensure our plans are as robust as possible, and that disruption is kept to a minimum.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is to go on strike on December 15 and 20, with thousands of vital nursing staff set to take part.
Rail strikes are also to continue with Border Force workers also set to walk out.
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