Nurses, paramedics reach pay deal to end England strikes
LONDON >> Unions representing hundreds of thousands of nurses, ambulance crews and other health care workers in England reached a deal Thursday to resolve months of disruptive strikes for higher wages, though the pact didn't include doctors.
The announcement came as early-career physicians spent a third day on picket lines and the day after U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt announced a budget that included no , additional money for labor groups that have staged crippling strikes amid a punishing cost-of-living crisis and double-digit inflation.
Under the deal negotiated by government officials and union leaders, workers would get a lump sum payment for the current year and a 5% raise next year. Any strike actions will be halted while rank-and-file members vote on whether to accept it.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the pact would reward hardworking National Health Service staff who persevered through the pandemic, and prevent further work stoppages.
“This offer is good for NHS staff, it's good for the taxpayer and most importantly it is good news for patients whose care will no longer be disrupted by strike action,” Sunak said.
The head of the Royal College of Nursing, one of five unions supporting the deal, said pay offer vindicated nurses who made the difficult decision to go on strike, forcing the government to negotiate.
“It is not a panacea, but it is real, tangible progress, and the RCN's member leaders are asking fellow nursing staff to support what our negotiations have secured,” Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen said.
Unite, the largest trade union in the U.K. but with a smaller presence in the health care field, blasted the government for months of “dither and delay” that caused unnecessary pain to staff and patients and said it would would not recommend the deal but let workers vote on it.
“It is clear that this government does not hold the interest of workers or the NHS at heart,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said.