NHS staff protest over pay deal

NHS staff at three hospitals in the West Midlands have been taking part in demonstrations against a pay deal.

Ambulance drivers, psychiatric nurses and pharmacists were among those unhappy with the 8% three-year pay deal the government has offered.

Protests were held outside the George Eliot in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, the Princess Royal in Telford, Shropshire, and City Hospital in Birmingham.

Some unions say the deal amounts to a pay cut, while others have backed it.

Unison has joined the Royal College of Nursing and the Society of Radiographers in backing the offer, but several smaller unions, including the Royal College of Midwives and Unite, have rejected it.

Protestors in Warwickshire said they could not rule out taking industrial action if an agreement is not reached.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites