UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea says the NHS is in such a bad state that health workers have been saying that strikes will not make it any worse.
In an interview with GB News’ Gloria De Piero at the Labour Party’s conference in Liverpool, she said: “Over October and November, we will be balloting around 400,000 NHS workers across the UK…taking strike action in the NHS is a big deal.
“A paramedic recently said to me, ‘you know what, the system is so bad that going on strike wouldn’t make it any worse’.
“We always put our life and limb into care and what they (members) are saying is it’s so bad now, that that’s kind of the level it’s at, as there is no slack in the system.
“That’s why people are waiting hours for ambulances, time after time. And it’s why they’re waiting weeks and weeks for appointments and operations.”
Asked by Gloria De Peiro what sort of pay rise they were hoping for, Ms McAnea said: “We’re looking for an inflation-proof pay rise. The offer…for health workers is a flat rate of £1,400, which with what’s happening with energy prices,will soon be snapped up.
“If they can afford to give away huge sums of money in tax cuts to the very wealthy, then they can afford to give people who keep the country going a decent increase.”
On Labour MPs joining picket lines, she said: “If I’m being totally honest, having a shadow minister or an MP on your picket line really makes no difference to the outcome.
“Sure, of course, local pickets especially want the local MP to turn up to support them, but I just think it’s a bit of a distraction and to be quite honest.
“Being on a picket line, once you’ve got there, you’ve been through a huge process to be able to take legal industrial action.
“We’ve got the toughest industrial action legislation in Western Europe. You’re losing a day’s pay for every day you take strike action. It’s really serious.
“I don’t like the fact that some people are using it as a bit of a photo op and to get a selfie. They should be able to come along and picket lines if they want to come but it’s not my job to tell Keir Starmer how to run the Labour Party, it’s my job to do what I can to get Labour to support us.”
Asked if public sector workers would also benefit from tax cuts, she said: “If you’re earning a million pounds, for every million pounds you get a tax rebate on these new cuts of £56,000 per year.
“If you’re on £20,000 pounds a year…that’s what lots of care workers for example, next April, you’ll see the princely sum of £157 in rebates, that’s £3 pounds a week extra they’re getting.
“Given what’s happening with the economy, given what’s happened with inflation and energy prices, that will not go very far.”
