Ministers leaving an emergency Cobra meeting tonight (Monday, December 12) have called on striking workers to 'give families a break'. The meeting was called to try and get a handle on disruption which is forecast due to a wave of winter strikes.
But Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden has pleaded for workers striking to gain better pay and working conditions for themselves - including nurses, paramedics and train staff - to call off action to “give families a break”. He admitted contingency plans to use the military to help fill in the gaps, including at the borders, will not be enough to “remove all risks”, reports PA.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Steve Barclay met the chief of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), but a breakthrough was thought unlikely as he insisted pay would not be discussed. Mr Dowden chaired the meeting of the Government’s emergency response committee, with military figures in attendance, as pressure on ministers to resolve the action grows.
