London: Britain's health minister, Steve Barclay, said on Sunday that the government would not negotiate on pay with the nurses' union as the threat of further strikes looms.
The government's offer, which includes a one-off payment equivalent to 2 per cent of salaries in the 2022/23 financial year and a 5 per cent pay rise for 2023/24, was rejected by the members of the Royal College of Nursing in April.
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When asked by Sky News whether the government would resume talks with the union, Barclay said, "Not on the amount of pay."
The union is already balloting its 300,000 members on further strike action over the next six months.
The union did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment on Barclay's remarks on Sunday. It has said that the government must pay National Health Service (NHS) staff "fairly."
The relationship between the union, which has staged multiple strikes that have disrupted patient care, and the government became strained in late April when the health department limited the length of a strike after legal action against the RCN.
team had earlier reported that nurses in England have voted to reject the government’s new pay deal, their trade union said, setting out further strikes that will put the National Health Service under more strain as nurses hold out for a higher wage offer. About 54% of nurses who took part in a ballot voted to reject the pay deal, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) – who had recommended members accept the deal, said. The turnout was 61% of eligible members. The RCN said its members would stage a round-the-clock 48-hour strike from April 30, which for the first time will be joined by nursing staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt.
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