Unions’ pay delusion

OF all the drivel spouted by Labour and the unions to justify the forthcoming reckless Nhs strikes, perhaps the most risible is that ministers are ‘spoiling for a fight with nurses’.

Could anything be further from the truth? With waiting lists above seven million, the last thing the Government wants is a dispute with medical staff – whose work they and the rest of the country admire.

the truth is, however, that no sane government could agree to the royal College of Nursing’s demand for a mammoth 17.6 per cent pay rise. Even Labour health spokesman Wes streeting agrees it’s unaffordable.

the cost is estimated at a ruinous £9billion a year, but it would also send a signal to the rest of the public sector that strike action could achieve hugely inflationary pay rises.

Between now and Christmas, nearly every public sector and transport union is planning strikes – partly driven by avarice, partly by anti-tory politics. But whichever party was in power, they simply couldn’t cave in without beggaring the country.

if we learned anything from the 1970s slump, it’s that a wage- price spiral perpetuates inflation and makes everyone poorer – including trade union members. it’s time for a dose of realism.