Marvin OnumonuUnite’s ballot showed 89% of NHS staff rejected the Government’s 3.6% pay offer and said they were ready to take action up to and including strike action.
Research found 95% of members were also willing to act against NHS cuts.
Unite called on the Government to meet in order to avoid a strike, which could affect Trusts including Ambulance Trusts and national organisations such as NHS England and NHS Blood and Transplant.
The pay award for agenda for change staff was below both retail price index (RPI) and CPIH inflation, lower than the offer for doctors, and less than staff in Scotland received through negotiation.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “When it came into power this government was clear that the NHS was broken.
“But staff are still leaving in droves and morale is still at an all time low.
“The NHS can’t be repaired while the government continues to erode pay and drastically cut NHS budgets.”
Graham added: “This pay award does nothing to reverse 15 years of real terms pay reduction. The lowest paid in the NHS will feel especially cheated because part of the award was paid out early in order to get them above the minimum wage.
“The fact that that needed to be done shows how far we are from where we need to be.”
Unite’s survey also found two thirds of staff were already seeing the effects of cuts at work.
Most said they were prepared to take industrial action to stop more cuts.
Richard Munn, national officer for health at Unite, said: “On the issue of cuts our members are baffled – it is literal Orwellian doublespeak.
“How can the NHS be “fixed” with thousands of staff at risk of losing their jobs?
“Unite members are not resistant to better use of technology, ill health prevention and health promotion or the move from hospital to community as outlined in the 10 year plan, provided skills and staff are not reduced.”
Munn added: “However, to propose huge job losses on the scale suggested is completely nonsensical and smacks of headline grabbing politics as opposed to delivering better services.
“It is no surprise that almost all members who voted are prepared to take action against cuts.”
