NHS pay: January strike dates are announced as government says demands are “unaffordable”

Unions representing nursing and ambulance staff have announced further strike dates for January 2023, as the government continues to claim that meeting the pay demands would mean “taking money away from frontline services and cause further delays to care.”Ambulance staff will go out on strike on 11 and 23 January, while nursing staff will strike for two consecutive days on 18 and 19 January. This follows strikes by ambulance staff on 21 December and by nursing staff on 15 and 20 December.Several professions in the healthcare sector have been, or are set to be, balloted on industrial action after the government announced a 4.5% pay rise for most NHS staff. The unions said this was unacceptable, as the average NHS earnings have fallen by more than 17% in real terms since 2010.Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said, “It’s only through talks that this dispute will end . . . It’s…
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