Put NHS pay right – NHS strike rolling report

Follow here for news and views on the latest day of NHS industrial action

Sara Gorton stands on Westminster bridge with two London Ambulance Service strikers - with Parliament in the background, holding a placard saying:"Fair pay & Safe Staffing"

19:00 We’re bringing this live feed to a close here. There’ll be strikers on increasingly atmospheric pickets for a few hours yet – but thanks for following the feed through the day (if you did) and thank you for all your continued support.

Before we go, if you want keep that support going, just take a look here:

How to support

We’ve got loads of ways you can support the strikers today:

Ways you can support

Show your solidarity on twitter

You can donate to UNISON’s strike fund, details are here:

Donate to the strike fund

Goodnight, and, to all of you still on pickets, get home safe.

North west picket line after dark

18:30 It’s been a hotly contested competition, but a late dash from the Waterloo picket has surely sealed ‘banner/placard of the day’. Simple content + creative execution = magic.

18:00 One thing’s for sure, they aren’t flagging up north.

17:30 Quality placarding at Middlebrook today.

17:10✊

16:55 HONK O’CLOCK

16:45 Answers on a postcard. Drone or high up window? Either way, great showing at Edmonton, London.

Edmonton picket line

16:30 Sorry guys, didn’t notice your weather front coming in over Cornwall and missed out on my post-lunch weather update, looks like it blew over quite quickly.

16:10 🗣️🗣️🗣️ getting loud in London. Building up to ‘Honk o’clock’™ for the school run through rush-hour.

How to support

We’ve got loads of ways you can support the strikers today:

Ways you can support

Show your solidarity on twitter

You can donate to UNISON’s strike fund, details are here:

Donate to the strike fund

15:50 Sara Gorton on ITV news earlier today – the NHS fuels the economy and the money you pay the public sector doesn’t fuel inflation, it ends up in local economies.

15:40 The Guardian saying what we’re all thinking this morning. What is the government’s plan?

15:20 Spirits may be high on our ambulance picket lines, but let’s not forget the reason why these strikes are happening. A sobering reminder from an anonymous Yorkshire & Humberside worker.

Listen and share.

Sort out pay to help with staffing levels.

Sort out staffing levels to help with wait times.

Sort out wait times to properly protect the public.

But none of that can start until the government comes to the table.

#PutNHSPayRight

15:05 UNISON’s head of health Sara Gorton (centre) with London Ambulance Service strikers doing their thing – taking the message to parliament.

Photo Marcus Rose

Sara Gorton stands on Westminster bridge with two London Ambulance Service strikers - with Parliament in the background, holding a placard with a picture of Rishi Sunak, saying: "If he did his job, we could do ours."

14:50 NEC members Liz Wheatley and Helen Davies on the picket at Camden.

14:45 Yep, good dog from Taunton. 13/10.

Christina McAnea on a picket in the SW, standing next to a striker with a Labrador puppy

#HeartUnions – #HeartUNISON

Don’t forget that, starting Monday, we’ll be celebrating Heart Unions Week.

13-19 February #HeartUnions #HeartUNISON

With the attack on striking rights, high workloads, low pay and industrial action across sectors, joining a union is more important than ever.

Find out how to get involved

14:30 Okay we have a new favourite type of photo – working title: Braziers in foregrounds which look like they’re burning things through forced perspective.

Exhibit A from Wigan – ‘Flag, not on fire’.

Ambulance strikers in Wigan - 10 Feb

14:20 Great photos from Y&H – apart from the unfortunate (or deliberate?) composition of no.2 which makes it look like a striker is, in fact, inside a brazier.

14:05 Reports coming in that the general secretary has a real springer in her step today. 🐶

Photo: Nigel Goldsmith

Christina McAnea (second from left) and Jo Kaye (Second from the right) on a picket line in the wouth west with two ambulance members and a springer spaniel.

14:00 Lunchtime honkers are out in force.

13:55 Look, we don’t want to take credit where it’s not due, but we like to think that this generous member of the public saw this report, agreed it was ‘Brazier Weather’™ and got to work.

Thank you!

13:50 Good numbers at the pickets across the North West

 13:40 Meanwhile, in London, 111 call handlers at the London Ambulance Service have walked out for the first time in this dispute.

13:30 Weather update: Into high single figure temperatures for most regions now – and should stay that way until late on this evening.

Braziers may not be required for their heat, but they don’t-half add to the atmosphere when it gets darker – here’s one ready for dusk at Docklands.

Photo: Jo Whelan

UNISON ambulance striker holding a "support the ambulance workers" in front of a brazier

13:05 Striking control room staff at Docklands today.

Photo: Jo Whelan

Two control room staff picketing at Docklands, one sat in a wheelchair, one in a camp chair

How to support

We’ve got loads of ways you can support the strikers today:

Ways you can support

Show your solidarity on twitter

You can donate to UNISON’s strike fund, details are here:

Donate to the strike fund

13:00 Brazier watch: Can always trust Jon Richards, UNISON assistant general secretary, to track down a brazier. First of the day for us – good work Jon.

12:45 Those of you keeping an eye on #PutNHSPayRight might have had some of our new ad-vans catching your eye – here are a couple, perfectly modelled, in Gateshead and Rotherham.

Strikers at Gateshead in front of a blue ad van which reads 'If Rishi did his job, we could do ours'

Strikers at Rotherham in front of a blue ad van which reads 'If Rishi did his job, we could do ours'

12:10 And, if you’re out and about, don’t forget to honk those horns – you might make it onto a video.

12:00 Solidarity from the FBU ✊

11:50 Our head of health, Sara Gorton, spoke to Good Morning Britain earlier this morning.

#HeartUnions – #HeartUNISON

Don’t forget that, starting Monday, we’ll be celebrating Heart Unions Week.

13-19 February #HeartUnions #HeartUNISON

With the attack on striking rights, high workloads, low pay and industrial action across sectors, joining a union is more important than ever.

Find out how to get involved

11:35 Christina has moved on to Croydon Road ambulance station, Bristol.

Photos: Nigel Goldsmith

Christina McAnea at the Croydon Road picket line in the SW

Ambulance worker holding a flag in front of an ambulance on a picket line in the SW

11:30 This morning, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak joined one of UNISON’s pickets in the North East.

11:15 If an ambulance station cat called ‘Defib’ doesn’t illustrate the beautiful camaraderie and joint mission of all ambulance workers, we’re not sure what does.

Bet it gives the mice a shock…

The ‘anti-strike’ bill

Don’t forget that the government is currently pushing legislation through parliament attacking the right to strike under the guise of protecting public safety.

Meanwhile, UNISON ambulance crews across the striking regions are responding to provide ‘life and limb’ cover without draconian, anti-trade union legislation forcing them to.

Three things to know about the anti-strike bill

11:00 “Come clean with the British public,” says Christina McAnea.

10:40 Almost three hours in and we still haven’t seen a brazier photo on Twitter, Facebook or the photos we get sent in. These ambulance workers are made of sterner stuff, clearly.

10:20 Beautiful ‘golden hour’ down at Filton this morning.

10:20am Good to see some MPs dropping by pickets – Ian Lavery (Wansbeck) and Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) here.

Ian Lavery MP on the picket line at Ashington
Julie Elliott MP on the picket line at Pallion

How to support

We’ve got loads of ways you can support the strikers today:

Ways you can support

Show your solidarity on twitter

You can donate to UNISON’s strike fund, details are here:

Donate to the strike fund

9:55 Christina McAnea, UNISON general secretary spoke to Nick Ferrari on LBC from a SW picket line, this morning, about the government’s ‘warm words’ – but lack of action.

9:30 As with the previous strikes, UNISON crews will still be providing cover and responding to high priority calls throughout the day.

9:00 Even if the weather isn’t – socials are certainly starting to warm up. Paul and Ella in Gateshead and picketers in Kendal.

8:45 Putting it politely, its a brisk start for most of our strikers this morning with temperatures ranging from 1°C in London to a balmy 7°C in Newcastle.

The North West might see a few sparse showers but the rest of England should remain dry.

Cold, dry – now thats what I call ‘Brazier Weather’™. Stay tuned for updates.

Unison members out on strike at Huyton Ambulance Station, Liverpool, UK. Photo©Steve Forrest/Workers’ Photos

8:30 Meanwhile, earlier this week UNISON urged Rishi Sunak to come to the table to resolve the dispute:

“He says his door is open but without an invite to that mythical negotiating table, NHS staff have no choice but to go on striking.”

It’s time the PM ditched the pretence

8:15 This morning Christina McAnea, UNISON general secretary will be touring picket lines in the South West, starting with North Bristol Operations Centre.

Christina McAnea at North Bristol Operations Centre 10 Feb 2023

Photo: Nigel Goldsmith

8:00 As ambulance workers start walking out across five regions for UNISON’s fourth NHS strike over the past three months – our rolling report also starts.

Check back in here throughout the day for updates from across the country and the media.

For now, if you’re not striking you can show your solidarity on Twitter and Facebook with #PutNHSPayRight or by using our template tweet:

Support our strikers

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