Ministers accused of being ‘on strike’ as action
by nurses in England continues
Rishi Sunak urged to ‘come to the table and negotiate’
after biggest strike day in NHS history
Jamie
Grierson
@JamieGrierson
Tue 7 Feb
2023 09.21 GMT
Nurses are to continue industrial action on Tuesday
after the government was accused of being “on strike” itself during the biggest
strike in NHS history.
Nurses are
set to strike at 73 trusts in England, up from 55 during January’s strike days
and 44 in December. The bitter dispute shows no sign of a resolution in England
as unions and ministers appear to be at loggerheads over 2022-23 pay for NHS
staff.
On Monday,
the junior minister Will Quince answered an urgent question on the strikes in
parliament, prompting accusations from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) that
senior government figures including the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and health
secretary, Steve Barclay, were “missing in action”.
“People may
wonder if the government is also on strike,” Pat Cullen, the RCN’s general
secretary, said. “Rishi Sunak is letting the country’s most important and
beloved institution deteriorate rapidly – but it is not too late. I am urging
him to come to the table to negotiate and halt this action now.”
Quince, who
responded on Barclay’s behalf, said the health secretary was attending a Cobra
meeting so could not be in the House of Commons to answer urgent questions.
NHS leaders
said it would be the “most disruptive week of strikes to date” – but urged
people to seek urgent and emergency care if they needed it and attend
appointments as planned unless they had been contacted in advance.
Monday was
the largest strike in NHS history as tens of thousands of workers in England
staged industrial action, including members of the RCN alongside GMB and Unite
paramedics, call handlers and other staff at ambulance trusts.
About
88,000 procedures or outpatient appointments have been postponed because of
strikes over the last eight weeks.
Ministers
have said they want to look forward to next year’s pay award but unions have
said this year’s pay needs to be addressed. The government has been warned of a
“constant cycle” of strikes until the issue has been resolved.
Ambulance
crews and call handlers were returning to work on Tuesday but are due to strike
again on Friday, while physiotherapists are set to strike on Thursday.
Unions in
Wales largely suspended similar action after the Welsh government came forward
with an improved pay offer on Friday.
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