Health workers in Liverpool belonging to the union Unison are prepared to strike again and for longer if the government does not start negotiating on pay, Nursing Times has been told.
Today nursing and other NHS staff took to picket lines for a second time across the city demanding that the government deliver on fair pay and safe staffing.
Around 5,000 Unison members went on strike at Liverpool University Hospitals and the Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS foundation trusts.
“The members are absolutely fed up and want to be heard”
Joe Baldwin
They joined ambulance colleagues who were also on strike at five services in England including the North West.
Sandra Maxwell, a nurse who was on the picket line at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital, told Nursing Times that this industrial dispute had been “10 years coming” due to the NHS being overwhelmed and underfunded.
“It’s been conflated with the winter pressures but underneath [there are] long-standing issues over pay, pay freezes, terms and conditions, taking holidays off people, outsourcing other roles,” she said.
Ms Maxwell, who came out of retirement during the pandemic to work on the Covid-19 vaccination campaign and is now back on the permanent register, said it was “such a shock” when she returned to the profession.
She said: “There were a lot of people like me who came back onto the register and were doing vaccination, but hearing stories of what was happening on the wards, how short staffed they were, the lack of PPE – that’s what shocked me.”
The two Liverpool sites were the only non-ambulance trusts in England where Unison achieved a mandate to strike.
However, the union is the process of re-balloting several trusts where the required numbers were only narrowly missed during the first ballots.
Unison members at the Liverpool trusts went on strike for the first time on 21 December and Ms Maxwell said they “will come out again” if necessary but they “shouldn’t have to”.
She said: “I think it’s unfortunate that it’s our city again.
“We don’t want to do this – these are our communities, our families, our neighbours who are our patients.”
Also on the picket line today was Joe Baldwin, chair of the Unison Liverpool Hospitals Health Branch.
He told Nursing Times that health and care staff were “disappointed” to be back on strike over pay.
“It’s a shame that it’s come to this because this is a last resort for our members, and myself as well,” said Mr Baldwin, who is a clinical nursing assistant.
“I think they’re in good spirits but they still feel very deflated and they’ve got no hope that the government is going to take any notice of it,” he added.
Unison members had asked Mr Baldwin today if they could strike for longer if another round of strikes was announced, he said, with some saying they would be willing to strike for 48 hours.
He said: “Even though it’s freezing cold…I do believe the appetite is there, because the members are absolutely fed up and want to be heard.”
Mr Baldwin added: “We will continue to do what we can do for this government to do what they’re supposed to do and listen to the people.
“Because they’re not doing that at this moment in time.”
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea echoed these feelings and described how the solution “is staring the government in the face”.
She said: “The public wants the government to end the dispute, so do NHS staff.
“But most ministers look like they’d rather dig in and do nothing, instead of boost pay and help turn the ailing NHS around.”
Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said it was “hugely disappointing” that some NHS staff were continuing to take industrial action.
He said: “It is important people continue coming forward for treatment – call 999 in life threatening emergencies and use NHS 111 online, local pharmacies and GP services for non-life threatening care.
“I have had constructive talks with unions about this coming year’s pay process for 2023-24, and am keen to continue talking about what is affordable and fair.”
Around 5,000 @UNISONOurNHS members are on strike today in Liverpool hospitals to fix the NHS pay and staffing crisis – this is not a day of action just for ambulance staff but for the whole NHS!
The government needs to #PutNHSPayRight https://t.co/iGmGQwYI0W
— UNISON Health (@UNISONOurNHS) January 23, 2023