Last bid to halt mass NHS strike

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NHS employers and union leaders will meet on Tuesday to try to reach a deal before ballots for industrial action are held, raising the prospect of an autumn of disruption in the health service.

Unions are furious with the Government for deciding to stage a rise of 2.5% recommended by an independent review body, reducing the value of the award to 1.9%.

NHS workers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will all receive pay increases in line with the review body's recommendation, although unions are not happy at the level of the increase.

Mike Jackson, lead negotiator of Unison, the biggest union involved, said a series of talks in recent weeks had failed to break the deadlock. "Health workers feel a strong sense of injustice that the Government has welched on a deal and is trying to impose a pay award that represents a pay cut in real terms.

"The retail price index is currently running at 4.4% so a 2.5% rise is already well below the level of inflation. Staging it has reduced its value still further. Our health workers deserve better and need more just to keep up with the rising cost of living.

"The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have decided not to stage the pay award but the UK Government is obstinately refusing to take any action to ensure nurses and others get a decent pay award."

Kevin Coyne, head of health at Unite, said: "We will meet with our senior NHS representatives shortly and we will recommend they reject the offer and hold a consultative ballot on industrial action."

Unison's health executive will meet later this week to decide whether to hold an industrial action ballot.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We continue to discuss with the unions potential solutions to the 2007/08 pay award. The pay award for health professionals in England is a fair award reflecting the balance between the right level of pay and the need to be vigilant against the threats of inflation."