A deal for ambulance workers in Wales is “tantalisingly close”, a union has said.
Unite is the only NHS union staging walkouts in Wales on Monday.
Others suspended planned action after the Welsh Government came forward with an improved pay offer on Friday.
Great to have our General Secretary, @UniteSharon, joining striking Welsh Ambulance workers on the picket line in Pontprennau, Cardiff this morning.
Negotiations continue, no deals have been done. Our members deserve better and are prepared to keep the fight going.#WASTStrike pic.twitter.com/tpmLVCSKNW
— UniteWales (@UniteWales) February 6, 2023
Negotiations resulted in a new pay offer from the Welsh government for 2022/23 of an additional 3% increase, unions said.
The GMB was due to hold a strike on Monday, while members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) were set to walk out on Monday and Tuesday.
The two unions announced that action will be suspended, although their members in England will go ahead with strikes on the same days.
A strike by physiotherapists in Wales on Tuesday has also been called off.
Meanwhile, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said a strike by its members across Wales will not go ahead and it is suspending action short of a strike planned for February 7-14 while it consults members on the new offer.
I'm here this morning in Cardiff with @unitetheunion members in the @WelshAmbulance service. It would be wholly premature for Unite to talk about any deals being done in relation to this dispute. As far as Unite is concerned negotiations are continuing. #ambulancestrike #Wales pic.twitter.com/9AcZhIulAi
— Sharon Graham (@UniteSharon) February 6, 2023
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham told the PA news agency: “The reason that we’re still out in Wales is that it would be disingenuous for us to put an offer to pause the strike in the full knowledge the offer was going to get rejected.
“What we want is not a sticking plaster – we want to have a deal on the table that will be accepted.
“I spoke to the health minister in Wales on a number of occasions yesterday; we’re tantalisingly close.
“The sticking point really is (of the) the extra 3% – half of it is on non-consolidated, so therefore it’s a one-off payment.
“And what we’re simply asking is to put more of that on the wages, so that people have that forever, it’s in their pay packet, because that will address some of the concerns.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here