Steve “Bullyboy” Barclay will “carry the can” if patients’ lives are lost due to his refusal to hold talks on health workers’ pay, Unite boss Sharon Graham has told the Mirror.
Thousands of nurses will head back to the picket lines tomorrow, while the first national strike by ambulance staff in 30 years kicks off on Wednesday.
Ms Graham made a last-ditch plea to Mr Barclay, who has been accused of “bullyboy” tactics by Royal College of Nursing leader Pat Cullen, to avert the strikes by holding talks on pay.
She told the Mirror: “Look at Scotland. The government there came back to the negotiating table, made a new offer and the strikes were cancelled.
“Hardly rocket science.
“Yet in England they refuse to negotiate a new deal with the unions or go back to the pay review body.
“It’s Steve Barclay who is holding the country to ransom. He will have to carry the can if patients suffer because he thinks this is his Thatcher moment.”
Ms Graham said Mr Barclay was in for a “rude awakening” if he refused to negotiate on pay. She said: “The unions are not going to blink first.”
Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton urged Mr Barclay to “do the right thing” for both NHS workers and patients.
She warned the strikes would continue into the new year if Mr Barclay failed to act on pay.
She told the Mirror: “The Health Secretary knows what he must do to lift the threat of disruption – that is host genuine talks and put a better pay offer on the table for NHS workers. Ministers should take their heads out of the sand, stop pretending they can’t boost wages and stop ignoring a worsening staffing crisis.
“The government must do the right thing for health workers, patients and services. Without urgent action on pay and staffing, ambulances delays and waits for treatment will go from bad to worse, making strikes more likely in the new year.
“The public values the NHS and its staff. It’s about time the government shows it does too.” Nine of the 10 ambulance services in England and Wales will strike on Wednesday, with only the East of England unaffected.
NHS Confederation boss Matthew Taylor told the BBC : “We’ve all got to be clear – there are going to be harms, there are going to be risks, and that’s why we’ve got to leave no stone unturned in making progress.”
Mr Barclay last night did not rule out a one-off payment for NHS workers to break the strikes deadlock. Asked if this was being discussed with No10, he said: “Any discussions between a department and the centre is private.”
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, said the military should not be treated as “spare capacity” as ministers prepare to deploy 1,200 troops to cover in public sector strikes.
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