THOUSANDS of health workers across East Lancashire took part in co-ordinated strike action last Monday in the first national walk-out over pay in more than 30 years.

Midwives, nurses, ambulance staff and hospital support workers joined picket lines from 7am for four hours, in protest at the government’s decision not to accept recommendations for a one per cent pay rise for all NHS staff.

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The dispute is ongoing and unions are to meet this week to discuss what further action they could take.

Unison secretary for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) Peter Dales said the increase in the chief executive salary since 2012/13 was likely to anger staff further.

The salary has risen from between £160,000 and £165,000, to £169,875, an increase of at least three per cent. He said: “This isn’t going to sit comfortably with staff.

Anything above a one per cent pay rise I think is immoral. I’m going to have a conversation with the trust about directors’ salaries and get an understanding about why they’re doing that when they need to save millions year on year.”

The ELHT statement said: “The trust undertook to recruit a permanent chief executive in May and Kevin McGee took up his appointment in September. The board and many of our stakeholders, including patients and staff, were involved in this appointment and everyone was agreed that Kevin was the best man for the job.

"His pay is commensurate with the level of the task, the size of the organisation and his skills and experience.”