The British government said Sunday it will send 1,200 troops to replace striking ambulance drivers and border guards as numerous public sector unions go to work the week before Christmas, the AP reported.

Ambulance crews plan to strike Wednesday, joining nurses, railroad workers, passport workers and postal workers in a series of strikes in the coming weeks.

The most intense wave of strikes in decades in Britain is a response to a cost-of-living crisis caused by rising food and energy prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation around Ukraine. 

Some 417,000 workdays were lost due to strikes in October, the highest number in a decade.

Unions are demanding wage increases to keep up with inflation, which was 10.7% in November, down slightly from 11.1% in October but still a 40-year high.

The conservative government argues that double-digit wage increases will lead to even higher inflation, and is trying to blame the disruptions on union leaders. In an interview with the tabloid Sun on Sunday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called union leaders Grinches who want to steal Christmas for their political purposes.

The government expects public opinion to turn against the unions as people across Britain face delayed hospital visits, canceled trains and travel delays during the winter holidays. But opinion polls show high levels of support for workers -- especially nurses, whose strikes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were the first in the 100-year history of their union, the Royal College of Nursing.

Meanwhile, nurses and ambulance crews say they will still respond to emergencies during the strike.