Ambulance workers in England and Wales will walk out on Monday, in the latest industrial action to hit the NHS as staff demand higher pay amid the cost of living crisis.
Health secretary Steve Barclay said it was “hugely disappointing” that thousands of ambulance workers were going on strike again.
But Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, one of the main ambulance worker unions, said ministers were making no sincere efforts to resolve the pay dispute.
Rishi Sunak is grappling with a wave of industrial action across the public and private sectors, with NHS, rail and postal workers striking over pay and working conditions.
The NHS dispute appears deadlocked, with ministers so far not acceding to union demands that the government reopen the pay settlement for staff in 2022-23.
“We are absolutely not in pay talks and this is the problem, that we haven’t got an honest partner at the other side of the table,” Graham told Sky News.
Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, another union that covers ambulance workers, said: “The public wants the government to end the dispute, so do NHS staff, but most ministers look like they’d rather dig in and do nothing instead of boost pay and help turn the ailing NHS around.”
Barclay said in a statement that while contingency plans were in place to mitigate risks to patient safety during Monday’s ambulance worker walkout, there would inevitably be “further disruption” to the NHS.
“It is hugely disappointing some ambulance workers are continuing to take industrial action,” he added.
Employers have offered ambulance workers in England a 4 per cent pay increase for 2022-23. Inflation stood at 10.5 per cent in December.
Barclay also said he had “constructive talks” with ambulance worker unions about the pay settlement for 2023-24.
Strikes by NHS staff began last month, and unions are planning to escalate industrial action in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, teachers in Scotland will this week continue with industrial action over pay.
Members of the EIS union are striking at two different councils each day until each of the country’s 34 local authority areas has experienced industrial action.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon defended the Scottish government’s reluctance to improve on its 5 per cent pay increase for teachers for 2022-23.
She said Scotland’s teachers were the best-paid in the UK, meaning higher wage increases were not justifiable.
Source: Economy - ft.com
