HEALTH workers carried out a series of strikes across the region as members of the country’s biggest health union protested the government’s decision not to give a one per cent pay rise.

Health members from unions have been taking part in five days of action – starting on Monday, September 3.

A recent survey by Unison revealed that one in five NHS workers need more than one job to make ends meet.

They will be joined by colleagues in other unions and, for the first time in their history, midwives have been taking strike action.

The strike action - the first in the NHS over pay for over 30 years – took place early on Monday, October 13.

This was then followed by four days of action short of a strike, on Tuesday, October 14 to Friday, October 17, focused on making sure members take their breaks.

Joanne Kaye, Unison South West, regional secretary said: “We conducted a survey on our members in the region and the story is very telling, our members are faced with having to make stark choices day to day whether to put fuel in the car or fill up the cupboards.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in the use of our Debtline and our survey found 20 per cent of our members have entered into a Debt Management Plan or taken an IVA in the last 4 years, that’s just insane”.

“These are hardworking people, within our NHS. Nurses and healthcare assistants aren’t taking a double figure pay rise like MP’s, our members are simply asking for what’s fair.

Lindsay, an advanced technician within the ambulance service said:"Cost of buying food and fuel has gone up, we have to shop around for cheaper offers etc.

“Just in general we are having pulling our belts in, we are taking very few holidays which we could do with in our job."

Rachael Maskell, Unite head of health, said:

“Given the feedback from our members, we are confident that this was a very well-supported action with over 100 picket line protests outside NHS hospitals up and down the country. NHS workers were especially thankful for all the messages of support they’ve been receiving from the public.

“Health professionals are especially concerned that the health secretary implies that fair wages for them mean job losses, but he does nothing to curb pay excess by corporate chief executives or the horrific £3 billion cost of this government’s useless reorganisation of the NHS.

“The health unions are calling for the government not to impose limits on what can be achieved for this essential workforce, but to come to the table prepared to negotiate in a meaningful way.”

Jez Tozer, Director of Operations North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead, said: “Nearly all services were running as normal on the morning of Monday, October 13 despite the decision of unions nationally to take industrial action.

“Any areas where planned clinics or surgery were affected by industrial action had already been rearranged and patients informed in advance.

“There was good co-operation with union representatives locally and all emergency services were operational during the four-hour strike.

“Women who went into labour during this time were not affected by the action as the central delivery suite and birth centre at Southmead Hospital were open as usual, as was Cossham Birth Centre.

“A large proportion of planned appointments and operations also went ahead as planned.”

58 members of staff from the hospital went on strike on the Monday morning, one operation had to be rearranged, and that was done last week.

There were two planned Caesareans that were arranged for after 11am in advance after the action was over.

Unison members working in the NHS will be staged a four-hour stoppage between 7am and 11am on Monday, October 13 in England. This has been be followed by an action short of strike action between Tuesday 15 and Friday 17 October when workers will ensure they take their breaks.

In addition to the four hour strike on Monday, members in the ambulance service will be called on to work no overtime during the period from Tuesday, October 14 to Friday, October 17.