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Image source, PA Media
Talks to avert onslaught enactment by nurses person failed, with the national accusing the wellness caput of "belligerence".
The caput of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Pat Cullen, said strikes successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland would present spell up connected Thursday, aft Steve Barclay refused to sermon pay.
The authorities said it would proceed to prosecute connected non-pay related issues.
The national is calling for a wage emergence of 19.2% but ministers accidental this is unaffordable.
The Department of Health said Mr Barclay had "again listened to the RCN's presumption connected wage and reiterated the authorities has agreed to the recommendations of the autarkic wage reappraisal body".
A spokesperson said the wellness caput had told Ms Cullen that immoderate further wage summation would mean taking wealth distant from frontline services and tackling the post-Covid backlog.
Ms Cullen said she was "extremely disappointed astatine the belligerence shown" successful a gathering with the wellness caput earlier.
She said wage was "fundamental" to the quality and not discussing it was "nothing abbreviated of being disrespectful to our profession".
Ms Cullen had said she was "optimistic" up of the gathering but "they closed their books and walked distant from the nursing assemblage this afternoon".
"We haven't travel retired with 1 azygous brownish penny," she added.
The national person has antecedently said the strikes could beryllium paused if the wellness caput "seriously" negotiated implicit pay.
The RCN has besides failed to scope an statement with the Welsh government, which said it could not marque an accrued wage connection without further backing from the UK authorities oregon risking a simplification successful services.
More walkouts are planned for 20 December.
RCN members successful Northern Ireland are besides portion of the onslaught action. Health assemblage workers from Unison, Nipsa and GMB successful Northern Ireland have already been striking this week implicit wage and conditions.
The national is calling for a wage emergence of 5% supra the RPI ostentation rate, which successful October was 14.2%, but nary UK federation has offered adjacent to that.
The RCN says its wage demands travel years of squeezes connected nurses' salaries, which person not kept up with the rising outgo of living.
Shadow wellness caput Wes Streeting said a Labour authorities would not beryllium capable to spend specified a emergence but added that it "would beryllium consenting to conscionable and negotiate" to debar a strike.
He accused ministers of a "stubborn refusal to engage" and of blaming NHS unit for the challenges "that are the nonstop responsibility and work of 12 years of Conservative mismanagement".
Meanwhile, successful Scotland, members of 2 large NHS unions, Unite and Unison, have voted to judge an improved wage offer, averaging 7.5%.
However, ballots of GMB, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and RCN members successful Scotland are ongoing.
Watch: Labour would not springiness nurses a 19% wage rise
The state is facing a question of strikes this month, including from paramedics, obstruction workers, and Border Force staff.
Unions are calling for bigger wage increases to assistance their members header with rising prices, but the authorities has warned this could marque ostentation worse.
Earlier, ministers and civilian servants held an exigency Cobra gathering to sermon contingency plans for the upcoming concern action, including utilizing the subject to screen Border Force staff.
Armed forces volition besides beryllium sent to infirmary trusts to familiarise themselves with vehicles up of an ambulance idiosyncratic onslaught successful England and Wales connected 21 and 28 December.
Downing Street has warned determination volition inactive beryllium "serious disruption".
Cabinet Office curate Oliver Dowden, who chaired the meeting, urged unions to telephone disconnected the strikes.
He said ministers were "straining each sinew" to minimise the risks from walkouts but it would ne'er beryllium capable to destruct them.
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