Govt shame – not a penny for NHS pay
Unite slams govt ‘game-playing’ and ‘gimmicks’ on talks ‘offer’ – as not one penny of extra cash promised for NHS pay
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Unite’s leader Sharon Graham has dismissed the game-playing and gimmicks from the government following the offer today (January 5) of ‘so-called’ talks on pay by business secretary Grant Shapps.
“This offer of so-called ‘pay talks’ from the government is game playing of the highest order, commented Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. “It is nothing more than a smoke screen.
“Bills need to be paid now, key workers’ families are suffering now, our NHS needs action now.
“The idea that we would call off industrial action on current pay issues in order to discuss the government’s 2023/24 evidence to the Pay Review Body is frankly beyond a joke. It is not even jam tomorrow. The rules have already been fixed and there is not a single penny of additional money for NHS pay available from this.
“Every day, it’s a different gimmick from this government. Perhaps if they focused on the one thing they haven’t tried yet – negotiating with us on NHS pay – then we could make some headway. Unless and until they do this, our strikes go ahead on January 19 and January 23,” she concluded.
By UNITElive team