If the health secretary negotiates “seriously” about compensation, a strike by nurses this month may be averted, according to the dean of the Royal College of Nursing.
“I won’t dig in if he doesn’t,” said general secretary Pat Cullen to Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday.
However, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that the government does not negotiate salaries.
The strike dates for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are December 15 and 20.
The RCN union is requesting a wage increase of 5% over the RPI inflation rate for nurses.
However, Ms. Cullen reported that her offer to negotiate was rejected five times.
She stated that ensuring nurses could “make ends meet” was her first goal, adding, “It’s not about stuffing their wallets with gold.”
Ms. Cullen encouraged the government to negotiate directly with her or through Acas, an independent organization that settles conflicts between employers and employees.
Mr. Cleverly stated that Health Secretary Steve Barclay spoke with union representatives, but he added: “Ultimately, union leaders negotiate salaries on behalf of their members with their employers. In this scenario, the NHS is the employer of the nurses.”
Prof. Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, stated that emergency services and essential treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy would be available during the walkouts.
During a strike, life-saving treatment must be provided by union laws.
Prof. Powis stated that there was “trouble developing this winter” for the NHS due to a rise in A&E visits and the number of hospital patients with influenza.
Both Mr. Cleverly and Prof. Powis stated that the NHS was prepared for the strike and sought to minimize inconvenience.
The Scottish government boosted its offer to nurses and other health professionals from a minimum of £2,205 to a minimum of £2,205, with some personnel receiving an increase of more than £2,205; this represented an average 7.5% increase.
The Scottish public sector employees’ union, Unison, has recommended the offer to its members amid ongoing discussions with unions.
Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, stated that “the threat of pre-Christmas strikes might very well be lifted” if Health Secretary Steve Barclay adopts the same stance as Holyrood and commits to increasing pay this year.
The Department of Health and Social Care stated that the government adopted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full, resulting in a 5.5% pay increase for newly certified nurses and a 9.3% pay increase for those with the lowest earnings, such as porters and cleaners.
A department spokeswoman added, “Ministers have held productive discussions with unions, including the RCN and Unison, on how to make the NHS a better place to work, and the door remains open for more discussions.”
