Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, has criticised the prime minister and health secretary for their failure to negotiate with NHS staff, which has led to ‘the biggest strike in the history of the NHS’.
The strikes, which include nurses, ambulance workers, and physiotherapists, have caused widespread disruption, including the cancellation of 88,000 appointments, including 10,000 operations.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Streeting said that the public cannot understand why the Government will not get around the table to negotiate a deal and put an end to the strikes. He said that there has not been a single minute of negotiation on pay, despite the desperate calls from NHS leaders, chief nurses, and unions for the Government to sit down and discuss the matter. He also noted that developments in Wales have shown that a deal is possible, but the Prime Minister has not responded to letters from the Royal College of Nursing.
Streeting accused the Prime Minister of being weak and said that the power to stop the strikes is in the Government's hands. He called on the Prime Minister to swallow his pride, sit down with the NHS staff and negotiate an end to the strikes by paying them fairly. The Health Secretary's absence from questions in the House of Commons only added to Streeting's criticisms of the Government's handling of the situation.
‘The power to stop these strikes is in the Government’s hands,’ said Streeting. ‘Patients have suffered enough disruption as it is. Is it not time for the Prime Minister to swallow his pride, sit down with NHS staff and negotiate an end to these strikes by paying NHS staff fairly?’
In response, minister for health and secondary care, Will Quince said he was unwilling to ‘play party politics on this’
He acknowledged the hard work done by the NHS staff on the frontline. He stated that the government is committed to finding a fair resolution for both the colleagues and the country, with the goal of spending money where it is needed most and helping the NHS recover from the pandemic.
Quince also said that over 1 million NHS staff have received a 9.3% rise in pay and a 3% pay rise last year, even when pay was frozen in the rest of the public sector. He also said that the government is committed to working with unions and the NHS to find a responsible and fair solution.
‘I met GMB members last week,’ said Quince, ‘and, together with my ministerial colleagues, I remain fully committed to working together with the unions, the NHS and others to find a responsible and fair way forward.’
Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash
