As UK airspace opens today, health workers are demanding that the NHS opens talks on how to help staff and their families affected by the volcano in Iceland.
UNISON members gathering for their annual health care conference in Brighton, passed an emergency motion calling for special paid leave to workers stranded abroad by ash from the volcano.
Some NHS Trusts have already told staff that they must take annual or unpaid leave to cover for their absence from work. The union will seek urgent talks with NHS Employers and the Department of Health in all four countries of the UK.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: