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| Health workers reject pay offer | Health workers reject pay offer |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of health workers have overwhelmingly rejected the government's three-year 8% pay offer, the GMB union has said. | Thousands of health workers have overwhelmingly rejected the government's three-year 8% pay offer, the GMB union has said. |
| The union, which represents 30,000 NHS staff in England and Wales, said more than 96% of its members had voted against the deal. | The union, which represents 30,000 NHS staff in England and Wales, said more than 96% of its members had voted against the deal. |
| It comes days after the Royal College of Midwives also rejected the offer. | It comes days after the Royal College of Midwives also rejected the offer. |
| Unison and the Royal College of Nursing, which represent more NHS staff, are balloting their members. | |
| The ballot result is a resounding no Sharon Holder, GMB | |
| The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is urging members to accept the deal, but Unison members are being balloted without a steer from their leaders. | |
| Members of the union Unite have already rejected the deal by six to one. | |
| One year deal | |
| The GMB, which represents ambulance crews, porters, catering staff, cleaners, laboratory workers and maintenance staff, has said it will now seek an immediate meeting with Health Secretary Alan Johnson. | |
| The union's Sharon Holder said: "The ballot result is a resounding no. | |
| "This result vindicates the position of the GMB negotiators, who knew instinctively that GMB members would not tolerate this unacceptable, long-term pay offer. | |
| "The Department of Health must be instructed to put a one-year deal on the table that GMB members can accept." | |
| Midwives have already argued for a one-year increase of 2.75%, which was recommended by a pay-review body before the government intervened to press for a longer deal. | |
| Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said earlier this week: "We have strongly argued that, given the outlook for the economy in future years, acceptance of the three-year deal would represent a vote for a real-terms pay cut." | |
| RCM leaders will meet next month to consider the ballot result, by which time Unison and the RCN will also have the results from the ballots of their members. |