THE government came under increasing pressure today for pay negotiations to reach a settlement with striking health and other public-sector workers.

Paul Nowak, the TUC’s new general secretary, called for urgent talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and an end to ministers’ intransigence which is forcing hundreds of thousands of nurses, ambulance paramedics, rail workers, civil servants and others onto the picket lines.

In a letter to the PM, Mr Nowak said: “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. 

“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.”

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents NHS organisations, also made an impassioned plea to the government to open talks with health unions on pay.

He said that with the NHS already in crisis, the last thing it needs is four days of strike action planned this month by nurses and ambulance paramedics.

Mr Taylor’s call comes after warnings of an intolerable situation in the NHS, with patients facing long waits for treatment, ambulances delayed and thousands of beds taken up with medically fit people who should not be there.

Helga Pile, deputy head of health at public service union Unison, said: “NHS leaders know the way to solve this dispute right now is for the government to begin talks to improve pay, as unions have said all along.

“[Health Secretary Steve Barclay’s] mantra that his door is open rings increasingly hollow when people know that he flatly refuses to discuss wages.

“Failure to fix pay will only cause staff shortages to increase and patient care to deteriorate.”

Ambulance staff who are members of the Unite, Unison and GMB unions are to walk out on January 11 and 23 in their dispute over pay. 

Members of the Royal College of Nursing are also set to strike again on January 18 and 19.

Downing Street acknowledged the current pressure on the NHS is an “unprecedented challenge” and blamed the pandemic and delayed discharges.