Health unions willing to ‘pause strikes’ in exchange for pay talks – but the offer gets no interest | UK News

[ad_1]

Health unions have offered to stop the strikes later this month if the government enters into serious wage talks.

But the offer appeared to go unheeded late on Saturday, as the health minister came under attack, saying an industrial strike would cause “great risks” for patients.

In an article for The Sun On Sunday, he said: “In the winter when we’re worried about COVID, influenza and Strep A – as well as the buildup of COVID – I worry deeply about the risks of strike for patients.

“We are working hard to make sure patients experience as little disruption as possible. But with the NHS already under strain due to the COVID pandemic and the coming winter, the stakes for patients will be high.”

Nurses are set to strike in many parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland on December 15 and 20, claiming they are 20% worse in real terms, due to successive under-inflation awards since 2010.

But the strike will cause huge disruption, as thousands of operations are expected to be delayed at a time when waiting lists are already at record levels.

Share with Sky News

You can share your story, photos or video with us using our app, private messages or email.

:: Your report on Sky News apps

:: The WhatsApp

:: E-mail

By submitting your video/images/audio to us, you agree that we can broadcast, publish and edit the material.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen said over the weekend she was ready to pause the strike if Barclay agreed to talk about the nurses’ salary demands.

“Negotiate with the nurses and avoid this strike,” she said.

My offer to negotiate was rejected five times.

I will press pause when the Minister of Health says he will seriously negotiate our dispute this year.

“It means that each of us gives some ground.

“He gains nothing by ignoring representatives of the NHS workforce.”

Read more: ‘I don’t know if the NHS is overwhelmed, or just stopped caring’: Patients left behind on the NHS hit a record 7.2m – with almost a third of patients waiting four hours looking for a postcode To keep track of the A&ENHS: See how your local trust performed throughout the winter

Cullen had previously accused Barkley of using “bully boy” tactics and refusing to negotiate properly because she was a woman who represented a largely female workforce.

The Health Ministry said Saturday night that “the door for the Minister of Health remains open for further talks,” but did not say whether wages would now be on the table.

A spokesperson said: “…we have accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Panel in full.

“This means that newly qualified nurses received an increase of 5.5% and those who were paid less, such as porters and cleaners, received a pay increase of up to 9.3%.”

Click to subscribe to Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcast

RCN wants a 5% rise above the retail price index measure of inflation, which is currently at 14%.

A similar offer – to suspend strikes – was made by Unison, which represents paramedics, emergency care aides, ambulance technicians and 999 crew members, who plan to go out on December 21.

Read more: Plans to cut backlogs in NHS treatment and cancer care at ‘grave risk’ How the NHS is using ‘virtual wards’ and smartphones to clean beds in hospitals operating at close capacity

Unison General Secretary Christina McNea said: “Instead of scaring the public about the consequences of strikes, the Minister for Health should put in place real plans to improve wages.

Sitting down with the health unions and improving the wages on offer has led to strikes being frozen across Scotland.

“If Steve Barclay were to reverse the Holyrood approach and commit to a pay increase this year, the risk of strikes before Christmas could be gone.

“But the ball is firmly in the government’s court. Ministers know what they must do to prevent disruption later this month.”

Nurses and ambulance workers are among the many workers on strike this month – among them railway workers, postal workers, bus drivers, highway workers, border forces and baggage handlers at Heathrow Airport.

[ad_2]