Britain faces largest healthcare worker strikes in history of NHS

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Britain will witness its largest-ever healthcare strike on Monday, with tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance workers walking out in an escalating pay dispute that the health minister said would put additional strain on the National Health Service.

Since late last year, Nurses and ambulance workers have been striking separately on and off, but the planned move on Monday will include both together, largely in England, and will represent the biggest in the history of the NHS. 

England's top doctor, Stephen Powis, stated that the strike action will also include physiotherapists on Thursday, which is expected to be the most distruptive so far. 

Health workers want a pay increase that reflects Britain's worst inflation in four decades, but the government says it would be unsustainable, causing more price increases, which would raise interest rates and mortgage payments.

Around 500,000 workers from the public sector and other sectors have been protesting since last summer, adding pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to resolve the disputes and limit disruption to public services such as railways and schools. 

Health Secretary Steve Barclay urged people to continue to access emergency services and attend appointments unless they had been cancelled but underlined there would be disruption.

"Despite contingency measures in place, strikes by ambulance and nursing unions this week will inevitably cause further delays for patients who already face longer waits due to the COVID backlogs," he said in a statement.

"I have held constructive talks with the trade unions on pay and affordability and continue to urge them to call off the strikes."

Leader of the Unite union, Sharon Graham, told the BBC on Sunday she wanted Sunak to come to the negotiating table. "This government is putting lives at risk," she said.