LONDON: Britain faces its largest ever strike by health workers on Monday (Feb 6) as tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance workers walk out in an escalating pay dispute with the government, spelling further disruption for an already strained health system.
and ambulance workers have been striking separately on and off since late last year but Monday's walkout involving both, largely in England, will represent the biggest in the 75-year history of the National Health Service .
Health workers are demanding a pay rise that reflects the worst inflation in Britain in four decades, while the government says that would be unaffordable and cause more price rises, and in turn, make interest rates and mortgage payments go up further.since last summer, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to resolve the disputes and limit disruption to public services such as railways and schools.
"The Royal College of Nursing have very responsibly ... told the NHS this is where we are going to be striking and they're able to put the emergency cover in place. Unfortunately, we've been seeing a situation with the ambulance unions where they refuse to provide that information," he said.Sharon Graham, leader of the Unite union, told the BBC on Sunday she wanted Sunak to come to the negotiating table, accusing the government of lying about ambulance workers.
The RCN says a decade of poor pay has contributed to tens of thousands of nurses leaving the profession - 25,000 over just the last year - with the severe staffing shortages impacting patient care.
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