Trade unions have agreed to postpone a planned strike by nurses and paramedics in Wales next week after the Welsh government put forward a new wage proposal.
The GMB union announced on Friday that it was suspending strike actions in Wales scheduled for Monday, while the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) canceled strikes scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.England union members will strike on the same day.
A strike by physiotherapists in Wales on Tuesday was also called off.
The Welsh government has proposed to increase the number of National Health Service (NHS) staff by another 3% from 2022 to 2023, unions said.
A Welsh government spokesperson said:
PM: ‘There is nowhere to hide’
The RCN said it would put the new proposal to a vote of its members and called on the UK government to resume negotiations on NHS payment decisions in the UK this financial year.
The RCN will escalate its strike action in England next week, with 73 NHS trusts taking action compared to 44 in December and 55 in January.
RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said: [Prime Minister] Rishi Snack has nowhere to hide. His reluctance to help with nursing is revealed to be a personal choice rather than a financial necessity.
“Again, when Ministers negotiated and offered wages to union members, they delivered on their promises to stop strikes, first in Scotland and now in Wales. has the lowest pay in the UK and he must hope this strike continues. , the strike will be off.”
GMB official Nathan Holman said: He recognizes the concessions made by the Welsh Government and the Welsh Ambulance and appreciates the frank and open dialogue with them over the past few months through social partnerships. ”
He also urged the British government to follow in the footsteps of the Welsh Labor government.
“This was only possible because the Welsh government was ready to discuss wages. This is a lesson for those in charge on the other side of the Severn Bridge.”
Labor disputes over the railroad continued on Friday. With operators such as Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern, and Southern not operating trains, members of the Aslef union and the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union (RMT) train drivers travel much of the country throughout the day. We left without service. .
Athref union general secretary Mick Whelan said train drivers could go on strike for the second or third year because their wages have not increased in four years.
Asked how long union members could financially continue to strike, he told LBC Radio:
He told the LBC that Aslef had made no progress in resolving the dispute with the government in a six-month strike.
Asked how likely it is that a deal will be reached in next week’s negotiations, he said: My people don’t want to lose money and don’t want to stand out in the cold. ”
Rail Delivery Group chairman Steve Montgomery said he “expects” the latest proposal to the RMT union to stop the strike.
He told Sky News that RMT had already consulted members about the offer, but added that the dispute with Aslef was “backtracking”.
“We all understand that we want to raise wages for our staff, which is especially important in these economic times. However, the average driver wage is currently £60,000 ($72,436). We are giving up to £65,000 in two years, which is a huge increase for people.”
Montgomery apologized to passengers for the “very limited service” offered across the country on Friday, saying the disruption continued “all day” and some services started “slightly delayed” on Saturday morning. said.
“Fair to all taxpayers”
Up to 500,000 workers, including teachers, civil servants, train and bus drivers and university workers, went on Wednesday in the UK’s biggest strike in a decade.
Downing Street said the government wanted to hold more consultations with unions to avoid further strike action.
Asked what Rishi Sunak was doing to sort out the industrial action, his official spokesman said: Some of those discussions were constructive. We have to balance the need to be fair to all taxpayers, the majority of whom do not work in the public sector. ”
PA Media contributed to this report.