Nurses' union wants health secretary to talk pay

A nurses' strike due to start this week could be called off if the health secretary negotiates "seriously" over pay, says the head of the Royal College of Nursing.

"I won't dig in if he doesn't," general secretary Pat Cullen told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said NHS pay was a matter for non-political independent review bodies.

Walkouts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due on 15 and 20 December.

The RCN union is calling for nurses to be given a pay rise of 5% above the RPI inflation rate, which was 14.2% in October.

The government has previously announced average pay increases of 4.5% for doctors and 4.75% for other NHS staff - including nurses - in England next year.

Ministers agreed to these after a recommendation by the independent pay review bodies that make suggestions about NHS pay rises.

Ms Cullen urged the health secretary to hold talks with her on a one-to-one basis or negotiate through Acas, the independent organisation which mediates disputes between employers and workers as early as Monday morning.

She said the union would not be "found wanting" in the negotiations but she said its position had not changed.

Asked if the union could accept a lower pay rise, Ms Cullen said: "Come to the table and let's have the discussion."

She said her priority was making sure nurses could "make ends meet", adding: "It's not about lining their pockets with gold."

Mr Cleverly said Health Secretary Steve Barclay had already met with union officials, but added: "Ultimately, salary negotiations are done between union leaders on behalf of their members and their employer. And in this instance, the nurses' employer is the NHS."

NHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis said pay was a matter for the independent review body and the government.

He said emergency services and key treatments like kidney dialysis and chemotherapy would continue during the walkouts, but that services would be disrupted.

Under trade union laws, life-preserving care has to be provided during strike action.

Prof Powis said there was "trouble brewing this winter" for the NHS, with an increase in people arriving at A&E and a rising number hospital patients with flu.

Both Mr Cleverly and Prof Powis said the NHS was prepared for the strike and wanted to minimise any disruption.

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The Scottish government increased its offer to nurses and other health workers to a minimum increase of £2,205 with more for some staff - that was equivalent to an average 7.5% increase.

Talks with unions are ongoing and the public service workers' union Unison has recommended the offer to members in Scotland.

Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, said that if Mr Barclay was to mirror Holyrood's approach and commit to boosting wages this year, "the threat of pre-Christmas strikes could well be lifted".

The Department of Health and Social Care said the government accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full, meaning newly qualified nurses had a 5.5% increase while those on the lowest salaries, such as porters and cleaners, received a pay rise of up to 9.3%.

"Ministers have had constructive talks with unions, including the RCN and Unison, on how we can make the NHS a better place to work - and have been clear the door remains open for further talks," a spokesperson for the department added.