Striking NHS workers pay protest march from St Thomas’ Hospital to Trafalgar Sq

When: 13:00, Monday 1 May, 2023
Where: Westminster Bridge Road, St Thomas’ Hospital, SE1

Workers demand pay rise that will end recruitment and retention crisis crippling NHS

The march takes place on the same day as workers from Guys and St Thomas’ Trust and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service begin the first wave of nationwide NHS strike action. The strikes come after Unite’s health service members voted to reject the government’s pay deal by 52 per cent on a turnout of 55 per cent. Three quarters of staff at Guys and St Thomas’ rejected the pay deal.

Unite members at South Central, South East Coast and West Midlands ambulance trusts alongside workers at Christies NHS Foundation Trust, Christies Pathology Partnership, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust will all take part in industrial action on Tuesday 2 May.

Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “We had been clear with ministers from the outset that the offer of a real terms pay cut sweetened with a one off cash payment was very likely to be rejected by our members and it has.

“It does not go far enough to address the massive problems facing the NHS due to overworked and underpaid workers leaving in droves. Our members will be on the picket lines with Unite’s total support until ministers come back with an acceptable offer.”

Unlike other health unions, Unite did not recommend its members to accept the government’s pay offer of a non-consolidated cash lump sum payment for 2022/23 and a five per cent increase for 2023/24. With the current real inflation rate (RPI) standing at 13.5 per cent this is a substantial real terms pay cut for NHS workers.

Further, the UK government offer doesn’t even match the higher settlement approved by Unite members in Scotland. For example, under the terms of the current government offer a paramedic on a band 6 in salary in England will earn almost £3,500 less per year than a corresponding worker in Scotland.