Unite is balloting NHS staff over possible strike action expected to hit the health service this winter.
It is the second major NHS trade union to announce ballots over potential industrial action in two days following the Royal College of Nursing.
Moves towards a Winter of Discontent in the NHS follow the Government announcing a 4.75% NHS settlement which works out at around a 4% rise for most middle earning healthcare workers.
Unite says the deal, while RPI inflation is currently 11.8%, is a “massive national pay cut” for its 100,000 NHS members in England and Wales.
The union, which had demanded a 15% rise, is recommending workers vote yes to potential industrial action. The ballot closes in mid-September.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This offer is nothing other than a massive national pay cut for NHS staff.
“After everything they have been through with the Covid pandemic and the service this workforce gives this country day in, day out, this is a kick in the teeth from the Government and an insult to staff and patients alike.
“This ballot is a chance for our members to have their say, and whatever they decide, they will have the full backing of their union, Unite.”
It comes a day after the Royal College of Nursing said it is recommending its members vote for strike action in the coming weeks.
If it gains members’ support it will be the first ever strike by RCN members in England or Wales in its 106 year history.
The British Medical Association, which represents doctors and has yet to ballot for industrial action, released a statement expressing “solidarity with nursing colleagues”.
The Tories 4.75% average pay settlement offers highest rises for the lowest NHS earners to keep them above the minimum wage. They would have been legally obliged to increase these lowest wages anyway.
However the NHS had only been allocated funding for a planned 3% rise and ministers have confirmed they will provide no additional funding.
This means the NHS in England alone will have to find £2 billion in cuts to staff numbers or services at a time when it has a record 6.6 million waiting list.
Unite’s national officer for the NHS, Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe, said: “For the Government to demand that even this insulting pay offer is funded through existing NHS money is an appalling, irresponsible move.
“The health service is already at breaking point and needs urgent investment to stave off collapse but we also need to reward staff properly.
“This dreadful pay offer will only make it far harder to recruit and retain staff.”
In England the Unite’s consultative ballot to ask if members are open to possible industrial action closes on September 11 while in Wales it shuts on September 15.
More sector-specific ballots could then follow to confirm industrial action and decide on what form it takes. It could involve ‘work to rule’ or full strike action.
Unite’s lead officer for the NHS in Wales, Richard Munn, said: “Our members working in the NHS in Wales are totally fed up.
“They’ve given everything to help care for people through this extremely testing time only to be told it is yet another cut to their pay.
“We understand the constraints on Welsh Government in terms of funding but more needs to be done to improve the pay of NHS workers.
“An improved pay offer is crucial to acknowledge what our members do, and to both recruit and retain staff.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We accepted the recommendations from the independent NHS pay review bodies in full, giving over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year – which includes a 9.3% increase in basic pay for the lowest earners.
“We want a fair deal for all staff, and we know that very high inflation-driven settlements would have a worse impact on pay packets in the long run than proportionate and balanced increases now.
“Industrial action is a matter for unions and we urge them to carefully consider the potential impacts.
“We hugely value the dedication and contribution of NHS staff and are working to boost recruitment, training and retention to ensure the NHS has a long-term sustainable workforce, there are now over 4,300 more doctors, and 10,200 more nurses compared to last year.”
