This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29838802
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
NHS staff to stage new four-hour strike over pay | NHS staff to stage new four-hour strike over pay |
(35 minutes later) | |
NHS workers, including nurses and midwives, are to stage a new four-hour strike in England on 24 November as part of an ongoing pay dispute. | NHS workers, including nurses and midwives, are to stage a new four-hour strike in England on 24 November as part of an ongoing pay dispute. |
Members of nine unions will walk out over the government's decision not to accept a recommended 1% pay rise. | |
A Department of Health spokesperson said they could not afford the pay rise "without risking front-line jobs". | A Department of Health spokesperson said they could not afford the pay rise "without risking front-line jobs". |
Christina McAnea, chair of the NHS trade unions, said the government had left them with "no alternative". | Christina McAnea, chair of the NHS trade unions, said the government had left them with "no alternative". |
She warned Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that he needed "to realise that this dispute is not going away". | She warned Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that he needed "to realise that this dispute is not going away". |
"All we are asking for is fair pay," she said. | "All we are asking for is fair pay," she said. |
The announcement follows a four-hour strike on 13 October, the first in the NHS over pay for 30 years. | |
The impact on patients was limited as unions had agreed to cover urgent and emergency care. A similar arrangement is likely this time. | |
The latest walkout will be followed for the rest of the week by action short of a strike, which includes measures such as not working unpaid overtime. | |
Members of another two unions - the British Dieticians Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association - will be involved in that. | |
The unions involved in the walkout are: | |
Ministers in England have awarded NHS staff a 1% increase, but only for those without automatic progression-in-the-job rises. | |
These, designed to reward professional development, are given to about half of staff, and are worth 3% a year on average. | |
An independent pay review board had said the 1% increase should be across the board. | |
It was implemented in full in Scotland. Northern Ireland has yet to make a decision on pay, while Wales did the same as England but did give extra to the lowest paid staff. Some unions are balloting their Welsh members about action there. |