THE prospect of a strike by hundreds of thousands of health workers came a step closer today when the biggest trade union in the service agreed moves for a ballot in a bitter row over pay.

Delegates at Unison's health workers' conference in Brighton angrily attacked the Government for staging a 2.5% pay rise, which has reduced the value of the award to 1.9%.

The conference unanimously agreed that a ballot of the union's 450,000 NHS members will be held unless the pay offer is increased.

The conference rejected the pay offer and will now write to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor demanding urgent talks with the Government.

Unison would also work with other unions in the NHS to secure an improved award, raising the threat of a wider dispute which could involve more than one million health workers. Tweet