FURTHER stoppages across the NHS are inevitable should secretary of state for health Jeremy Hunt continue to refuse to hold discussions to settle the pay dispute says GMB .

GMB members in the ambulance service in England and Northern Ireland are considering a 48 hour continuous strike as part of a programme with other health unions to escalate the strike action in the New Year in the pay dispute in the NHS.

The two day stoppage in the ambulance service, should it go ahead, will start at 12 noon on January 29 and will continue until 12 noon on 31st January.

GMB will issue the necessary formal notices to NHS employers in the coming weeks.

GMB members took part in the strike action in the NHS across England & Northern Ireland on October 13 and November 24 to demand that the Secretary of State for Health  meets with GMB and all health unions to resolve the dispute.

The four-hour stoppages were followed by action short of a strike with an overtime ban in the ambulance service and other NHS employees working to their contracted hours.

GMB conducted an official ballot of it's NHS members in England and Northern Ireland there was overwhelming support for industrial action against the government and employers’ pay policies.

The pay offer for NHS staff in England is an unconsolidated one per cent pay award in 2014, restricted to staff not eligible for incremental progression and the same approach in 2015. This goes against the recommendation of the independent NHS Pay Review Body for a 1% consolidated pay rise for all staff.

Rehana Azam, GMB NHS National Officer, said " It is regrettable that GMB has no alternative but to escalate the strike action in the NHS. The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, is acting irresponsibly with a continued entrenched position by not engaging in any meaningful talks with the health unions.

"This dispute is escalating. The consequences could mean a third wave of strikes across the NHS and we will be consulting members on a two day strike on 29th & 30th January in the Ambulance Service.

" Further stoppages across the NHS are inevitable should Jeremy Hunt continue to refuse to hold discussions to settle the pay dispute. This is a dispute he created when he dismissed an independent pay review body's recommendation for NHS staff pay."

Steve Rice GMB Ambulance Chair said "I have worked for the Ambulance Service for almost four decades and in this time I have worked under 17 Secretaries of State for Health. Never have I experienced staff morale at such a breaking point and that is why the GMB is calling an urgent GMB Ambulance meeting to discuss the details of a potential 2 day stoppage across the ambulance service. Escalation is always a last resort but in the absence of any real talks from government or employers we have nowhere else to go.

"Our A and E's are in a crisis and we have taken the responsible position by not striking over Christmas. This goodwill will not continue in the New Year. GMB members expect the current Secretary of State for Health to engage in meaningful talks to settle this dispute.

"NHS staff are the backbone of the NHS and whilst the pay recommendation by the independent pay review body didn't go far enough it cannot be just dismissed by the Secretary State for Health."

GMB and other NHS unions issued a joint statement on December 19 that sets out a programme where NHS strikes will be escalated in the New Year.

Individual Trade unions will be announcing details of their strike action on those dates.