Nationally the number of strikes gripping the country is increasing - prompting reports of a new "winter of discontent" among workers.

Some have even suggested that union leaders may be co-ordinating strike action in a bid to create a de facto general strike across a number of different sectors.

But in Suffolk - and more generally in East Anglia - the impact appears to be less than in some other parts of the country.

This week Royal College of Nursing members went on strike in hospitals and health trusts across the country for the first time - but not every hospital and trust was affected.

In Suffolk, Norfolk and most Essex hospitals there was no strike - not enough nurses voted in favour to trigger a walkout.

The only East Anglian hospitals affected by strikes were Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth in Cambridge.

This region is not unique in that. Across England there were RCN strikes at 44 out of 219 hospital trusts - involving about 100,000 staff, a quarter of its membership.

The RCN called its members out on strike at half the hospitals where the threshold for strike action was reached in the earlier ballot.

This region is, however, the only major part of the country where ambulance staff are working normally all next week. 

The GMB called for national action and its members in nine of the ten ambulance trusts in England passed the threshold for action. The only trust where the threshold was not reached was the East of England Ambulance Service.

Elsewhere there will be one-day strikes on December 21 and 28 although the government and unions are trying to ensure emergency calls will not be affected.

While this region has not been affected by the health disputes at this stage - it is possible that there could be fresh ballots in future that could result in strikes being called.

Away from health disputes, the national postal strikes are affecting people in Suffolk as much as anywhere in the country - and the rail strikes have had a major impact on services on some days.

However next week the RMT is telling its members not to work overtime on working days which is likely to cause major problems for people trying to get home for Christmas in some parts of the country.

Bosses at Greater Anglia, though, don't expect the overtime ban to dramatically affect their services in the run-up to Christmas, although strikes on the afternoon of Christmas Eve and early morning of December 27 could cause problems for travellers.

And while most of the headlines at present are about new strikes starting, some disputes have been settled.

During the autumn the pay dispute between workers and managers at the Port of Felixstowe appeared to be quite entrenched - but an agreement was reached recently that seems to have satisfied both sides.