Nurses Are Determined' To Strike Despite NHS Pay Deal

The health service "can't cope" without nurses who are "determined" to press on with strikes even if a pay rise for NHS workers goes ahead today, union leaders have said.

- KATE DEVLIN

Services across England experienced "exceptionally low" staffing as part of the biggest walkout yet over the bank holiday. But the health secretary Steve Barclay accused nurses of taking premature and disrespectful action, just hours before a meeting that could deliver salary increases for many.

Today, the NHS Staff Council, made up of health unions, employers and government representatives, will decide whether to accept a 5 per cent pay offer from ministers. The offer has been rejected by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Unite unions but accepted by a number of others.

Pat Cullen, leader of the RCN, denied support for strikes among her members would "crumble" if the pay rise goes ahead. "These are very determined people," she said. She told BBC Breakfast yesterday: "We can now see the NHS can't cope without nursing staff, that is abundantly clear."