Start talks now call

Today (October 13) health workers and their representing unions took part in a historic pay strike – the first of its kind in over 30 years.

 
Unite members made their mark as they joined over 100 picket lines up and down the country to send a clear message to health secretary Jeremy Hunt – that all health workers deserve a blanket one per cent pay rise, one that the independent pay review board recommended.

 
“We urge Jeremy Hunt to heed his responsibility to the NHS workforce and patients and to start talking with the unions to discuss fair pay for this vital staff who would rather be caring for patients than having to fight their own poverty,” said Rachael Maskell, Unite head of health.

 
Maskell said today’s action was a resounding success, one that was well-attended and encouraged by many in communities across the country.

 
“NHS workers were especially thankful for all the messages of support they’ve been receiving from the public,” she added.
In response to Jeremy Hunt’s contention today that a pay rise would entail thousands of job losses, Maskell argued that fair wages were entirely affordable, especially if the worst excesses of privatisation were reined in.

 
“[Hunt] does nothing to curb pay excess by corporate chief executives or the horrific £3 billion cost of this government’s useless reorganisation of the NHS,” she said.

 
Criticising Hunt’s unprecedented refusal to negotiate with unions, Maskell said, “The health unions are calling for the government not to impose limits on what can be achieved for the essential workforce, but to come to the table prepared to negotiate in a meaningful way.”

 
Stay tuned on UNITElive for the latest on the NHS pay strike.