Union leaders threatened on Saturday night to order a new wave of heavier strikes in the new year, which will see nurses offered “less generous” support in hospitals, in a dramatic escalation of their pay dispute with the government.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), in a marked hardening of its line, said there would be “more hospitals and more nurses going on strike in January unless ministers back down by Thursday.
The RCN said it would reveal its timetable for bigger and wider disputes if ministers fail to start fresh talks on pay within 48 hours of a second day of action planned for this Tuesday.
In a further round of disputes, it will work to ensure that nurses limit the type of work they are prepared to do on strike days to a shorter list of activities in fewer areas than was the case in the first strike day last Thursday.
Some nurses claimed they were harassed and threatened with disciplinary action if they tried to curtail their duties on the day of the strike.
The RCN’s move came amid the first signs that ministers may be exploring ways to break the impasse behind the scenes to prevent the NHS from collapsing over Christmas and New Year.
The Observer has been told that meetings between senior figures at the Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have taken place in recent days to discuss the dispute and possible ways to end it. Treasury sources said ministers would refuse to go beyond the pay review body’s recommendations, but could potentially look at ways to give staff more money through one-off lump sum payments.
Pat Cullen, general secretary of the RCN, said: “The Government must wrap this up by Christmas. Strikes in January, if forced to continue, will see more hospitals and more nurses involved than at present – 2023 should be a new start for all, not more of the same.’
The upcoming second RCN strike will affect more than 70 trusts and health organizations across England. Photo: Tayfun Salcı/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
The latest Opinium poll for the Observer shows support for nurses’ action has grown, with 60% of those asked saying they support strikes. This is an increase of 3 percentage points from two weeks ago.
With hospital flu cases soaring, the NHS faces its most widespread disruption in decades this week with strikes by nurses and ambulance staff on back-to-back days.
The second RCN strike on Tuesday will affect more than 70 trusts and health organizations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Strikes by ambulance staff on Wednesday will then affect 10 of the 11 trusts in England and Wales. East Anglia is the only ambulance service that will not be affected. All members of the GMB, Unison and Unite unions are taking action.
Ambulance services in the North East and North West of England are likely to be among the worst affected, with members of all three unions set to strike. The most widespread action is by the GMB, with more than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine ambulance trusts taking part.
Striking ambulance crews will respond to all “life-threatening” emergencies, but less critical calls will be handled by a combination of military drivers, St John Ambulance, taxis and community care teams. NHS England has advised hospitals to try to free up beds before the action.
NHS nurses cheer as an ambulance passes the picket outside Leeds General Infirmary. Photo: Adam Vaughan/EPA
Rachel Harrison, the GMB’s national secretary for community services, said the striking ambulance staff would be off the lines to respond to the most serious cases. She said: “I think it’s safe to assume that there will be coverage for category one cases everywhere … how it’s worked in the past is that we’ll have columns outside the ambulances where the members will be and there will be a dedicated team there, to answer incoming calls.
Jason Kirkham, Unite member and paramedic in the West Midlands, said: “We don’t want to cause any harm to patients. Our goal is to disrupt the government so that they come and talk to us. We want them to engage with us in a meaningful way so that we can stop this action and reach some kind of agreement.
“Every NHS worker is working as hard as possible to protect patients, but we know the service is struggling. Morale is the lowest I’ve seen it in 20 years.”
There will likely be a short break for those traveling abroad for the Christmas break. Border Force officers are due to operate for eight days, between December 23 and New Year’s Eve, at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports. The action will mainly affect those arriving in the UK rather than those leaving.
Ministers said their main concern for the coming weeks was public safety. Arrangements have been made to deploy 1,200 members of the armed forces to perform duties such as ambulance driving and border checks.
These include 600 drivers and a further 150 staff providing logistical support directly to members of the armed forces operating ambulances. Community first responders will also be used to help manage the demand for medical care.
Unison’s head of health, Sarah Gorton, said: “Calling in the army is not going to make this dispute go away. Strikes will continue into next year unless ministers stop hiding behind the pay review body and come up with a deal now to improve NHS pay and staff.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said his main concern was patient safety. He added: “I have listened to the unions and I am open to further discussions, but theirs [pay] the demands are not tenable under the economic circumstances.’
A DHSC source added: “We are very sorry that the RCN is considering escalating strike action which could put patient safety at further risk.”
More Tory MPs joined calls for the Government to compromise with NHS workers last night. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the House of Commons defense committee, said the pay gap “needs to close”, adding that “both sides need to come together to try to reach an agreement”. He said the dispute was “damaging the economy and putting extra pressure on everyone, including the armed forces”.
Another senior Tory MP, Charles Walker, said a deal should be struck with nurses. “Any organization that has a high level of vacancies will look at the pay they offer,” said Walker, who drew a contrast between NHS workers and rail workers, where he said few people had left over pay or conditions.
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