Union talks aimed at ending strike action

Ministers are owed to clasp abstracted talks with health, teaching and obstruction unions to effort to bring an extremity to the country's assorted onslaught actions.

On Sunday, Rishi Sunak told the BBC helium wanted to person an "honest, two-way conversation" astir pay.

Unions welcomed the remarks, but importune wage rises for nurses successful this fiscal twelvemonth indispensable beryllium addressed successful the talks.

The authorities has truthful acold lone agreed to sermon a colony for the adjacent fiscal year, which starts successful April.

In an interrogation connected the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Sunak said helium was "happy to speech astir wage that is responsible, that's affordable for the country".

"We privation to person a reasonable, two-way speech astir wage and everything other that is relevant," helium said.

Pat Cullen, wide caput of the Royal College of Nursing, said his remarks offered a "chink of optimism", but would not halt strikes scheduled for aboriginal this month.

NHS unit successful England and Wales, including nurses, person been fixed an mean wage emergence of 4.75% this twelvemonth but are calling for an summation successful enactment with inflation, which is presently moving astatine much than 10%.

While wellness unions person said talks astir this year's wage are crucial, Mr Barclay wrote that "we should beryllium moving guardant and having constructive conversations astir what is affordable this coming year, alternatively than going backmost retrospectively".

Ambulance workers successful England and Wales volition onslaught for 24 hours connected Wednesday - and again towards the extremity of the period - portion nurses are presently readying a walkout connected 18 and 19 January.

As good arsenic 2 days this week, teachers are readying week-long concern enactment adjacent week successful a wage dispute.