UK economy flatlines in February with impact of strikes

By Nuran Erkul

LONDON (AA) – The UK economy is estimated to have been flat in February with the impact of strikes across the country, official data showed on Thursday.

The country's economy flatlined following a growth of 0.4% in January.

Services sector and production output fell by 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, in February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The largest contributor to the negative growth in services in February was education, which dropped by 1.7% in a month as teachers' strikes took place.

Teachers who are part of the National Education Union took a strike action amid a dispute over pay in February.

The falls in the services and production were offset by a 2.4% growth in the construction sector.

The construction output in the UK is estimated to have risen by 2.4%, following a 1.7% contraction in January, another fresh ONS data also revealed Thursday.

The construction output was the biggest monthly value in level terms with £15.55 million ($19.46 million) since January 2010.

The growth in both repair and maintenance and new work contributed to the monthly construction output in February.