Rishi Sunak sat down with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday (Picture: Getty)
Rishi Sunak raised hopes nursing strikes could be averted by saying he was willing to discuss pay with unions.
But only next year’s increase will be up for negotiation – not the current dispute over wages, he insisted.
The prime minister told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show that today’s discussions would be ‘really important’, adding: ‘We’ve always said we want to talk about things that are reasonable, affordable and responsible for the country.
‘The government is keen to sit down with unions and make sure they understand where we’re coming from.’
He was urged to ‘grasp the nettle’ and ‘come to the table’ by Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, who is hopeful the long-running row can be resolved.
‘When I listened to that there was a chink of optimism… a shift in what the prime minister was saying,’ she said.
Pat Cullen is hopeful the long-running row can be resolved (Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
But she insisted the focus of talks must be addressing the current pay dispute. And she urged No.10 to meet nurses halfway on salary demands, warning strikes on January 18 and 19 will go ahead without a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, health secretary Steve Barclay hinted NHS wage rises were on the cards for next year if unions agreed to efficiency savings to make higher salaries more affordable.
And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer waded into the pay row, claiming the NHS is suffering ‘the worst crisis we’ve ever had’ after ‘13 years of neglect’ by the Tories.
More: Trending
Mr Sunak admitted the NHS was ‘under pressure’ but said extra funding would ease the problems contributing to a lack of beds at hospitals up and down the country.
Meanwhile, about 45,000 junior doctors in England will today begin casting their votes on whether they want to stage a 72-hour strike over pay in March.
The British Medical Association accused Mr Barclay of ‘ignoring’ all invitations to discuss the pay row, making attempts to find a settlement ‘virtually impossible’.
Ministers to sit down with rail union bosses
Rail union bosses will speak directly with the government today as commuters return to work after a fortnight of strikes paralysed the rail network.
The talks with the Department of Transport come as health and education ministers also open face-to-face discussions with teaching and nursing unions, amid public concern over a wave of industrial action.
But rail, ambulance, nursing and civil service unions remain due to meet each other at TUC headquarters tomorrow to discuss co-ordinated action later this month. It comes after the government promised laws requiring unions to maintain minimum service levels during industrial disputes.
Only next year’s pay increase will be on the table for discussion, the PM says.
