Paramedics will go ahead with their strikes this week, after a discussion between the Tory Government and unions ended with no deal - despite hopes that staff may be offered a one-off lump sum.
Ambulance staff across England are set to walk out once again this Wednesday, as well as on January 23. Nurses are expected to follow suit next Wednesday and Thursday (January 18/19).
Unions today met with Health Secretary Steve Barclay, to hold their first NHS pay summit for 2023/24.
The Mirror reports that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raised hopes that nurses could be offered a one-off payment this winter - to end strikes over their 2022/23 pay deal. However, a source has since revealed that no cash offer was made to ease the burden on nurses this year.
The source also added that there was also no firm statement of what is on the table for 2023/24. Unite negotiator Onay Kasab blasted the approach today as an 'insult' saying: “The Government have missed yet another opportunity to put this right.”
In a furious statement after the talks, he added: “All the Government are interested in is saying in order to justify a payment, we need to come up with productivity savings in the NHS. That is absolutely ludicrous. This isn’t a factory we’re talking about.
"We’re talking about people who are working well beyond their contracted hours anyway just to get the job done.”
He also detailed that it was not "any clearer" from the talks whether there would be a one-off payment, as there had been "mixed messages" from the Government. Today's outcome does not necessarily rule out a one-off payment being offered in future. It was not immediately clear what the next steps would be after the hour-long talks.
But GMB and Unite sources said strikes were set to go ahead as planned.
It comes despite the Prime Minister and his spokesman refused to rule out an olive branch as a compromise to settle disputes over 2022/23 pay. On Sunday night it was reported the Government was prepared to look at the idea of a 'hardship payment' - a month after No 10 was accused of blocking it.
Even if it was made, any offer to NHS staff would likely prompt a backlash, as it would not raise pay permanently, and other public sector workers wouldn’t be offered it. Currently NHS staff have been offered a pay rise averaging 4.75% in 2022/23 - well below inflation.
Nurses are due to walk out again on January 18-19.
Unions met Health Secretary Steve Barclay on Monday morning to hold their first talks about how pay might rise in 2023/24. For months it was thought that the Government would refuse to discuss 2022/23 pay again. And it is thought the overall 4.75% pay rise is still not up for discussion.
But No10 admitted that despite the 2022/23 pay settlement: “global economic headwinds are putting household budgets under pressure”.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman added of today's talks: “We are happy to listen to the pressures they think they are under, what they think is a fair response and affordable.”
Refusing to deny the possibility of a one-off payment, he said: “We are willing to listen to unions if they want to put forward what they believe is fair and reasonable in this area.” Rishi Sunak twice refused to deny a one-off payment was on the table, telling reporters: “You wouldn't expect me to comment on specifics.”
The Tory leader said on a visit to a healthcare centre: “On pay, we've always said that the Government is happy to talk about pay demands and pay issues that are anchored in what's reasonable, what's responsible, what's affordable for the country. But the most important thing is those talks are happening. Let's try and sit down and find a way through.”
Asked If the new softer wording was just a ‘PR stunt’ to look reasonable, the PM’s spokesman said: “I don’t agree with that.”
Mr Sunak raised hopes of a wider breakthrough, as ministers held talks with union leaders on pay for up to 5.7 million public sector workers across Government. The Prime Minister insisted it was a "positive sign" that negotiations with bosses from unions in the NHS, schools and on the railways were taking place.
He said: "I am glad those invitations were accepted and those talks are now happening, and people can be reassured that dialogue is happening. The talks are happening. That's a good, positive sign and the most important thing is we let those talks carry on."
He warned workers’ leaders to be '"responsible" in pay demands.
Speaking as he visited a community health centre in Leeds, the PM added: “We do need to be talking about things that are affordable ultimately for the country, that are responsible when it comes to tacking inflation which, ultimately, is the root cause of the challenges people are seeing.
“We all want to root out inflation. It is really important that we do so."
Leaders from the RMT and Aslef are meeting Rail Minister Huw Merriman as they insist the Government is blocking a deal to end the long-running row over pay, jobs and conditions. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "I want to see the Government stop play-acting.
“The truth, written in black and white in their rail contracts, is that they've been in complete control of this dispute from day one. The train operators cannot move without Government say-so.”
The National Education Union - whose strike ballot for teachers shuts on Friday - warned talks will not resolve a dispute over pay if they deal only with this year's settlement. NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted welcomed the chance to meet Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, but said only an hour had been set aside for the talks.
"You cannot negotiate anything in an hour," she added.
The education talks also include three other major teaching unions - NAHT and NASUWT, which both have strike ballots closing this week, and ASCL. Patricia Marquis, director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, hoped talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay would lead to progress.
But she insisted they needed to focus on the current pay award in 2022/23, not just 2023/24. She said: "We know that the meeting has been called with all unions from across the NHS about next year.
“They're not negotiations - we understand they are a conversation sort of setting out the scene. So, we'll be interested, of course, to hear what Steve Barclay has got to say.
“But unless we're able to have a conversation about this year's pay award, then, sadly, this isn't going to resolve the dispute that we currently have with the Government."
Around 45,000 junior doctors will begin voting today on whether to stage a 72-hour walkout in March over pay. The ballot closes on February 20. And the Communication Workers Union is set to re-ballot 115,000 Royal Mail workers in the coming weeks to extend their wave of strikes beyond February.
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