NHS strikes will go ahead despite Health Secretary's hint that pay rise could ... trends now
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Nurses and ambulance drivers could have their next pay rise brought forward by three months in a bid to end the wave of strikes hitting the NHS.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay today agreed to examine union proposals that would see the 2023/24 pay settlement due in April back-dated to this month.
If health workers are offered a 5 per cent rise in April, a nurse on an average £33,338 would get an increase of £1,670. Back-dating this to January would mean an extra £417.
But the move was not enough to head off the immediate threat of more strikes, with ambulance drivers saying they would press ahead with a walkout in parts of the country on Wednesday. Nurses said walkouts scheduled for January 18 and 19 would go ahead. Another ambulance strike is scheduled for January 23.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay today agreed to examine union proposals that would see a health service pay rise brought forward by three months in a bid to end the wave of strikes hitting the NHS
Whitehall sources questioned whether the Treasury would agree to sign off the back-dating plan, which would increase the cost of the pay deal by a quarter. Downing Street warned the deal would have to be funded from existing budgets, meaning potential cuts to services if pay awards are significantly above the 3.5 per cent pencilled in by the Treasury.
In a sign that the Government fears the disputes could last for months, ministers will on Tuesday press ahead with the publication of new strike laws that will require unions in key sectors
