Hundreds of thousands of workers in Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) went on strike yesterday for the first time since 1982 following London’s rejection of a blanket pay increase.
NHS staff including nurses, ambulance crews and midwives stopped working for four hours beginning at 7am, with some forming picket lines.
Emergency services continued, but unions recommended that patients defer their appointments.
The move was intended to pile pressure on British Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, who rejected the recommendations of an independent pay panel for a below-inflation, 1 percent wage increase for all health service staff.
He has agreed to implement the 1 percent increase, but only for the four-in-10 workers who are not already receiving an incremental salary increase.
“The majority of NHS staff get an automatic 3 percent increment, but we cannot afford to give a 1 percent rise to people already getting that,” Hunt said. “The most important thing here is doing the right thing for patients. It would be irresponsible for any health secretary to accept a pay package that means the NHS has to lay off nurses.”
Britain’s Conservative-Liberal coalition government has about halved the nation’s budget deficit from 11 percent since taking office in 2010.
However, the continued belt-tightening has been criticized by trade unions, who cite the health of the British economy, which is expected to grow by 3 percent this year.
ROCK-BOTTOM MORALE
Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary Frances O’Grady, who joined a picket line in London, said morale had hit “rock-bottom.”
“NHS staff faced year-on-year cuts in the relative value of their pay,” she said.
Union leaders say that low pay increases plus inflation mean the value of NHS pay has fallen by 12 percent since 2011.
MIDWIVES
Among the unions taking industrial action, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is going on strike for the first time in its 133-year existence.
“After years of stress, pressure and overwork, being told they face another year of rising bills, but static pay is just too much. They have said enough is enough,” RCM director for policy, employment relations and communications Jon Skewes said.
Hunt said he was prepared to talk to the unions, but only if they were prepared to consider reforming the “unclear and unfair” system of increments.
400,000 MEMBERS
The striking unions count more than 400,000 members among the 1.3 million NHS staff.
Only the Chinese army, the Indian railways and US supermarket chain Wal-Mart have more employees than the NHS, according to the British government.
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