Steve Barclay 'demands ransom from the country' by refusing to discuss nurses' pay, says union boss

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Health Secretary Steve Barclay has been accused of 'holding the country to ransom' by refusing to discuss pay ahead of further NHS strikes.

Health is preparing for major disruptions as Christmas approaches, with nurses due to leave on Tuesday and paramedics due to begin industrial action on Wednesday.

Unite leader Sharon Graham also said that Steve Barclay would get a 'rude awakening' if he refuses to negotiate over wages, as she insisted the unions would not 'blink first' to break the deadlock.

Ms Graham, whose union coordinates ambulance strikes with Unison and GMB, said he would "have to carry the canister if patients are in pain".

"It's Steve Barclay who's holding the country hostage," she told The Mirror.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has pledged to organize a new wave of gr ves tougher in January if ministers are not ready to open talks within 48 hours of its members leaving on Tuesday. p>

The Health Secretary has signaled he is 'anxious' to continue talks - but Mr Barclay has continued to resist calls to negotiate over wages, suggesting instead talks focus on a range of other questions.

Mr Barclay said the union, which is calling for an anti-inflationary pay rise, should respect the independence of the NHS pay review body who came up with the current offer.

He insisted the NCR's calls for a 5 per cent above inflation were "unaffordable", stressing the need for a 'balance' reflecting taxpayer constraints during a cost of living crisis.

He also declined to be fired at reports that No 10 had waived a one-off payment to nurses to end deadlocked, instead reiterating the government's position that it has accepted the recommendations of the salt review body aires "in their entirety".

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said it would take a "corporate commitment" on wages for the unions to call off their strike action on Wednesday.< /p>

The union leader said ambulance staff are taking industrial action because ministers have refused to negotiate with them over wages.

"It's not something they have chosen to take it lightly - the government has been completely intransigent here," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Ahead of a new Cobra meeting of senior civil servants on Monday, Cabinet Minister Oliver Dowden said it was "not fa...