Maybe, then, it’s time to change our way of thinking. And most importantly, reflect on the wins strikes have gained for us all historically: the five-day work week, the eight-hour working day, the minimum wage and equal pay for women, to name a few.

“Strikes change the course of history, especially when workers from different workplaces mobilise at the same time,” Pfannebecker adds. “They can be a very effective political tool, because they force governments to respond to their citizens as the ultimate holders of economic power.”

The UK’s first general strike in 1926 wasn’t an immediate success, but the organisation and strikes over the 1920s and 30s energised the workers’ movement and built up huge political pressure that laid the foundations for the creation of the NHS and the social welfare state – something we have all undoubtedly benefited from at some point in our lives. While unionising may have become harder over the years, we’re still seeing workers win against their employers and the government. The GMB union has recorded six victories in the five months to April, which included pay rises for outsourced bin workers, and Unite has recorded 35 recent wins for workers. And new unions are forming to support the gig economy and outsourced workers, such as the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), who were involved in the longest continuous gig economy strike in UK history.

Train strikes: it’s time to suck up the frustration of travel strikes and look at the bigger picture