Picket lines formed outside Newcastle's Freeman and Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) hospitals on Thursday as physiotherapists became some of the latest to walk out over pay and working conditions.
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) physios staged the first of two strikes today, with a further strike planned for February 9. Physios at the Freeman and RVI were among 4,200 CSP members from 30 trusts to join the strike action.
Jill Taylor, who is a lead regional steward for the CSP in the North East, joined the picket line outside the RVI. She said: "We're on strike against the pay award that the Government have offered us. It's less than half the rate of inflation and it's nowhere near enough for the job that we do.
