‘Union demands unaffordable’, health minister says as more strikes announced
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Unison has announced that paramedics and other emergency workers are planning to strike this winter.
The UK’s biggest trade union announced the results of its month-long NHS strike last night. 80,000 union members voted in favor of mass action.
As a result, thousands of 999 call operators, ambulance technicians, paramedics and their colleagues working in ambulance services across the North East, North West, London, Yorkshire and the South West will take action against mass protests.
Responding to the new strike, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, said “our economic circumstances mean that the demands of the unions are not affordable”.
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Mr Barclay said in full: “I am very grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff and deeply regret that some of them will take mass action which is not in anyone’s best interests as we head into a difficult winter.
“Our economic circumstances mean that union demands are unaffordable – each additional 1% pay rise for all workers on the Agenda for Change contract would cost around £700 million a year.
“We have prioritized the NHS with record funding and fully accepted the recommendations of the independent pay review body to give more than one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year, with the lowest paid , will receive an increase to 9.3%.
“This is on top of 3% last year when public sector wages were frozen and there was wider government support for the cost of living. Keeping patients safe during any strike is our priority and the NHS has put in place tried and tested plans to minimize disruption and keep emergency services running.
“My door remains open to discuss with the unions ways we can make the NHS a better place to work.”
Nurses’ strikes are already planned for December 15 and 20, and are expected to involve up to 100,000 staff at 76 locations.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, community services and ambulance services, said the Army would be “incredibly welcome” to “play a role” in keeping the NHS afloat this winter.
She added: “But I think it’s probably clear that it’s going to be a role in the fields, for example the army did help during the pandemic, but that was in things like helping with vaccinations.
“I think we have to remember that we would really welcome their support, but it’s not going to play a central role in keeping the ambulance service going.”
Commenting specifically on the new measures for emergency responders, Ms Cordery said: “I think the added challenges on top of that will make response times incredibly stretched. But the leaders of the trust, the leaders of the ambulance trust, will introduce as many measures as possible to reduce the risks of these actions.”
