UK government ministers are meeting union bosses on Monday in a bid to avert a fresh round of public sector strikes, as teachers’ unions ballot their members for action.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the meetings last week after the rail and health systems were crippled by a series of stoppages, with unions threatening more walkouts in the coming weeks.
Rail, health and education unions are holding separate meetings with rail minister Huw Merriman, health secretary Steve Barclay and education secretary Gillian Keegan.
Sunak, whose initiative to hold direct talks comes after months of union requests for increased dialogue with government, said the ministers were “happy to talk about pay demands and pay issues”.
The meetings mark a step up in the government’s involvement in the labour disputes at the start of a year and are likely to be crucial for Sunak’s premiership.
But, speaking to broadcasters, the prime minister cautioned that the talks should be anchored in “what’s reasonable, what’s responsible and what’s affordable for the country” and vowed to “root out inflation”.
Asked about whether the government was considering one-off payments to health workers to help with the cost of living, he said: “You wouldn’t expect me to comment on specifics but the most important thing is that the conversations are happening, that people are talking.”
The NHS is braced for several weeks of industrial action, with members from the Royal College of Nursing expected to strike on January 18 and January 19, while ambulance workers aligned with the GMB and Unison are due to strike on January 11.
The British Medical Association will later on Monday ballot its members for industrial action, which if successful could see junior doctors embark upon a 72-hour walkout without provisions for emergency care.
In England, teachers in the NASUWT union will vote in a ballot for industrial action, with the result due on Tuesday. Teachers represented by the National Education Union will announce the outcome of their ballot for industrial action on January 16.
Bus drivers, ambulance workers and driving examiners are all striking this week, as are teachers in Scotland.
On Sunday, unions representing nurses and ambulance workers said there would be more strikes unless there was a fresh pay offer for the current year. Sunak had been resisting such talks, but on Sunday appeared to soften his tone.
“The government has always been clear that it’s happy to talk about pay that is responsible, that’s affordable for the country. But we are about to start a new pay settlement round for this year,” the prime minister told the BBC.
“We’re about to start that independent process, and before that process starts the government is keen to sit down with the unions and talk about pay.”