With new strike dates revealed
NHS workers in England who are members of Unite the union have voted to reject the latest government pay offer.
This means industrial action by more than 4,000 NHS workers across England will now go ahead next month.
The offer was rejected by 52% of members on a ballot turnout of 55% with results revealing a high figure of rejection for workers in frontline services with patients.
Unite said seven out of ten ambulance paramedics rejected the deal whilst it was turned down by three quarters of staff at the West Midlands Ambulance Trust and Guys and St Thomas, and two thirds of staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Trust.
Unite were the only union that did not recommend the pay rise to their members, which consists of a 5% pay increase from 2023/23 and a one-off cash payment.
The union said the offer doesn’t come anywhere near matching the real rate of inflation.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary said it was “a joke” that NHS workers were being forced to fight for decent pay, and accused the government of using “insults, bullying and lies” during the dispute.
“It is quite frankly a joke that NHS workers are being forced to fight for a decent pay rise after years of pay freezes and all their sacrifices during the pandemic,” said Graham.
“The government should be delivering generous rewards for that instead of a parade of insults bullying and lies about our industrial action.
“Unite’s members will now return to the picket line to continue their fight.”
She urged the Prime Minister to, “take over this mess, roll his sleeves up and sort it”.
“Isn’t that what a prime minister is supposed to do – lead for goodness sake?”
Members of the Royal College of Nursing also rejected the offer but members of the union Unison have accepted it as have members of GMB, it was announced this afternoon.
Strike dates
Monday, May 1 – Staff at Guys and St Thomas’ Trust in South London and the Yorkshire Ambulance Trust will strike. Striking workers will also take part in a pay protest march.
Tuesday, 2 May – Staff at South Central, South East Coast and West Midlands ambulance trusts, workers at Christies NHS Foundation Trust, Christies Pathology Partnership, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust will strike.
Hannah Davenport is trade union reporter at Left Foot Forward
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