18 September 2014

NHS workers in England, including nurses, occupational therapists, porters, paramedics, medical secretaries, cooks, and healthcare assistants, have voted yes to strike action.



Members of UNISON were balloted in response to the Government ignoring the independent Pay Review Body’s recommendations for an across-the-board rise. As such, 60% of NHS staff and 70% of nurses won’t get a pay rise for the next two years.

68% of those who voted were in favour of a strike, while 32% were not. 88% were in favour of action short of strike action, while 12% voted against it.

The last action over health workers’ pay was 32 years ago.

General secretary of UNISON Dave Prentis said: “This government’s treatment of NHS workers has angered them and this anger has now turned into action. Refusing to pay them even a paltry 1% shows what the government really thinks about its health workers. Inflation has continued to rise since 2011 and the value of NHS pay has fallen by around 12%.

As well as Unison’s 300,000 healthcare members, members of the Royal College of Midwives, GMB, and Unite have also been balloted, with the results expected in coming weeks. Unison is expected to wait for the other results before deciding on what action to take.