Nowak demands “urgent meeting” with Sunak to resolve public sector strikes

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak has demanded an “urgent meeting” with Rishi Sunak about strikes by public sector workers, declaring that there will be “no resolution” to the disputes while ministers “refuse point blank” to discuss pay.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Nowak argued that public sector workers “don’t want to be out on strike this winter” but “have been left with no choice” as a result of more than a decade of pay cuts and wage freezes.

The new TUC general secretary wrote: “Our public services are in crisis after years of underfunding and understaffing. We can’t solve these problems without a fair deal for the people on the frontline.”

“But we cannot fix the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not fix the underlying causes. That means talking in an open and constructive way about improving public sector pay,” the letter continued.

Nowak said the government has so far “refused to negotiate directly about pay”, adding: “Unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the government and talk about boosting pay. But while your ministers continue to refuse point blank to discuss improving wages, there can be no resolution.”

He urged Sunak to meet with the TUC “as soon as possible” and to allow ministers to “adopt new approaches” to resolve the public sector pay disputes.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced last month that its members will go on strike on January 18th and 19th unless negotiations with the government are opened. The potential walk-outs follow two days of industrial action in December.

Confirming the action, RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: “Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in if they don’t dig in.”

A strike ballot of RCN members was launched following the government’s decision in July to award most NHS staff a 5% pay rise. The union has argued that nurses should receive a pay rise of 5% above inflation.

The government has repeatedly claimed that the RCN’s pay demand is “unaffordable”. Health Secretary Steve Barclay has argued that such a pay rise is not possible “given the many other economic pressures that we face”.

Ambulance staff across most of England and Wales took part in one day of strike action in December in a coordinated walk-out by the three main ambulance unions, UNISON, GMB and Unite.

Barclay met with unions ahead of the strike, but UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea revealed following the meeting that “nothing” had been said about pay. The government reportedly instead sought reassurances over strike cover.

In an interview with LabourList in December, Nowak said: “The government could very easily see an end to the industrial action if they were serious about entering into meaningful talks with unions about pay. It’s as simple as that.”

He argued that it was not “inconceivable” that there would be a “continuing wave” of strikes “up to and beyond the spring Budget” if ministers failed to engage “meaningfully” in negotiations.

The National Education Union (NEU) announced in October that it was balloting its members in England and Wales on strike action over pay. The ballot opened on October 28th and will run until January 13th.

Fellow teachers’ union NASUWT has also launched a ballot of its members in England and Wales, which closes on January 9th. A separate ballot of NASUWT members in Scotland closed on November 21st, with more than 92% voting in favour of strikes on a turnout of almost 64%.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) announced in November that nearly 33,500 members will be balloted on industrial action after the union’s demands for an increased pay offer were rejected by employers. The strike ballot is set to run until January 30th

Below is the full text of Paul Nowak’s letter to Rishi Sunak.

Dear Prime Minister.

I’m writing to you today to ask for an urgent meeting. Public sector workers don’t want to be out on strike this winter. They care passionately about their vocations and the communities they serve.

But they have been left with no choice. Ambulance staff, physiotherapists, teachers and millions of others have seen their living standards decimated by over a decade of pay cuts and wage freezes. And with inflation north of 10 per cent, they simply cannot afford another real-terms pay cut.

Our public services are in crisis after years of underfunding and understaffing. We can’t solve these problems without a fair deal for the people on the frontline. Every month experienced employees are quitting, with one in three public service staff now taking steps to leave their professions or actively considering it. This is simply unsustainable.

But we cannot fix the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not fix the underlying causes. That means talking in an open and constructive way about improving public sector pay. But so far your ministers have refused to negotiate directly about pay with unions.

Unions worked closely with you during the pandemic to deliver the furlough scheme and to protect millions of jobs. That’s the kind of mature approach we need now. Unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the government and talk about boosting pay. But while your ministers continue to refuse point blank to discuss improving wages, there can be no resolution.

In the NHS, for example, appropriate structures already exist to allow the immediate start of pay negotiations involving health unions, employers and ministers. This was exactly what happened in 2018, leading to the three-year wage deal.

We want to find a resolution to the current disputes so our public service staff can get on with doing the jobs they love. And so our public services can start to improve for everyone who relies on them.

I urge with you to meet with us as soon as possible and allow your ministers to adopt new approaches to resolving the public sector pay disputes.

Paul Nowak – TUC general secretary