'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land,

Services were striking, going cap in hand.

'Just a fair wage', they cried

As they headed to Foodbanks,

While bosses heard nothing,

On their way to the banks.

Nurses left patients,

Against their own code,

Just wanting to earn what they felt they were owed.

Posties left presents adrift on the shelves,

Saying, 'Our pensions matter,

'We're not Santa's elves.'

So come on MPs,

It's time to be clear.

Something needs sorting

To return festive cheer.

As I sit here with just four days to go until Christmas Day, I look around and wonder what next year will bring. 

With nurses, railway workers, driving examiners and a plethora of other professions set to strike across the festive period, it doesn’t look like we’ll be returning to normal services any time soon.

Something’s got to give, so why not pay people what they’re worth while also ensuring the services being provided are safe?

Clapping those who literally carried us through a pandemic looks like an utterly empty gesture if you’re then not prepared to pay those same people a wage they can get by on.