NHS strike solid support across the UK

Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said today that NHS workers were solid in support of the strike action to protect their pensions. She said:

"Half of all NHS staff were not balloted, but we know that support for the action was strong right across the country. Over 400,000 NHS workers took part in strike action in support of their pensions today. Many of our members who were working turned up because we had agreed that they should provide emergency cover.

"This action was solid and the Government should look beyond the few streets around Whitehall and see what actually happened across the country. Thousands of people were demonstrating in every major town and city across the UK. It is time the Government started listening to them."

Solid support for the strike across the country

UNISON, the UK's largest union, today reported strong support at picket lines and rallies across the country, for the 24-walk out over plans to make detrimental changes to public sector pensions.

The day of action kicked off at midnight, as Eleanor Smith, UNISON President and theatre nurse, lead hospital workers including midwives, hospital porters, hospital cleaners and nurses out of Birmingham Women's Hospital in Edgbaston.

Candlelight vigils marked midnight around the country at hospitals in Bristol and Gloucester, and workers walked out of the Mersey Tunnel which shut down at 12 o'clock. From Southampton to Shetland Isles, workers are picketing, holding rallies, hosting events for children, and giving advice to the unemployed today. The union's battlebus is touring picket lines including City Hall and London Ambulance Service in the capital, joined by Dave Prentis, who will be speaking at a rally in Birmingham at 1.30pm.

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

"There are hundreds of thousands of UNISON members are taking action to protect their pensions today - with solid support across the country.

"We know that today's strike is being lead by women - 3.7 million could be affected by the plans to make detrimental changes to pensions. And they won't be fooled by government ministers' claims that their justified action will hit jobs. They know the real reason that the dole queues are growing are the disastrous choices the government is making.

"Its own Office of Budgetary Responsibility has predicted that 710,000 public sector jobs will go by 2017. This, alongside pay freezes and the pensions tax, will suck vital demand out of our economy - strangling any chance of the private sector coming to our rescue."

UNISON has more than 1.1 million members including nurses, paramedics, social workers, teaching assistants, PCSOs and probation officers, bin men and dinner ladies in the schemes - the vast majority of whom will be on strike today.

Two million workers are no damp squib says UNISON

Responding to David Cameron's comments, Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

"I wouldn't call two million people taking strike action a damp squib. Cameron is sounding increasingly desperate in his attacks on public service workers. He has only to turn on the TV, or listen to the radio - or look out the window - to see the nurses, dinner ladies, paramedics, social workers, teaching assistants, lollipop ladies amongst others standing up for their pensions. And the thousands of picket lines, demonstrations, rallies and events are not a figment of our imagination. These people are angry public servants who the Government has driven to the end of their tether."

Cameron needs to stop the distractions and start talking pensions

Commenting on David Cameron's announcement that he plans to stop trade union facility time, Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, the UK's largest union, said:

"It is a pity that David Cameron cannot concentrate on pensions, instead of kicking back at trade union members, who do such a valuable job in the workplace.

"Today we have hundreds of thousands of UNISON members on strike, and the prime minister should be listening to them and coming up with a fair deal, not making inflammatory announcements."

UNISON condemns Department of Health strike figures

UNISON, the UK's largest union, today condemned Department of Health (DOH) plans to fiddle figures to play down the numbers of health workers on strike today.

The union said that the DOH's figures will not take into account the fact that doctors, RCN and RCM members were never going to go on strike today - making it impossible for all health workers to be taking action. UNISON also said that some of its members were exempt from taking action so they can provide life and limb cover - keeping emergency services running.

Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said:

"The DOH are so desperate to put down the success of the NHS strike, that they are planning on how best to fiddle the figures of how many workers are taking action. They should take account of the fact that large numbers of NHS staff are members of the RCN, RCM or are doctors, and they are not taking strike action. In addition UNISON members are providing emergency cover where it is needed.

"However the DOH have stopped individual Trusts from showing the real picture and are simply asking them to say how many staff should be at work and how many are working today. This will give a completely false picture of the turnout.

"That means any DOH figures should disregarded because they will be inaccurate. They are designed from the start to hide the fact that members of UNISON have been supporting the strike in huge numbers right across the UK."