NHS strikes: Could Wales' workers be offered £1,000?

The NHS has been hit by strikes from nurses and ambulance staff

There is no concrete offer for NHS workers, the Welsh government has insisted, after the BBC was told it was considering giving health staff £1,000 as a one-off payment.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan will hold crunch talks with unions on Thursday in a bid to avert further strike action.

A source described the claim as "rumour" and said no figure had been officially put to unions.

It comes on the day more than 1,000 ambulance workers in Wales walked out.

A senior health union source told the BBC they were not sure such a payment would be enough to win support from members.

Welsh Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford announced at the weekend that he was offering health workers a one-off payment, but no amount was outlined in the letter to unions.

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The source said there were no "specific figures on the table at the moment".

Another source described the claims as "rumour" and said no figure had been officially put to unions.

An extra payment of £1,000 on top of the existing pay offer would bring this year's offer closer to the current cost of living.

A Welsh government source said the idea of a one-off payment was a "genuine attempt" to resolve the dispute and they were not going to be making a "token offer".

A senior source for one of the major health unions attending the meeting said any offer in the region of £1,000 would be taken to their members to vote on, but they said they were not sure it would be enough to get the support of the membership.

'We understand the frustrations'

In a Senedd committee on Wednesday, Ms Morgan said ministers would try to see "what we can do in terms of being able to negotiate a way out of the situation".

"We obviously support the right to strike - we understand the frustrations of members of the ambulance service," she said.

"I think some of this is not just about money, it's also about frustration in terms of them not being able to get on with their job."