The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) have announced on Wednesday that thousands of NHS physiotherapy staff across England will strike on 26 January and 9 February.
The planned industrial action will cover 199 NHS employers which will see 13,500 staff strike foe two days, and on 26 January there will be around 4,200 CSP members taking strike action.
Claire Sullivan, director of employer relations and union services at the CSP, said, “Not one physiotherapist or support worker wants to strike, especially at such a precarious time, but they have been left with no choice and their reasons for doing so are intrinsically linked to the current NHS crisis.
“Every day, patients struggle to get the care they need because of the chronic workforce shortages caused by a decade of under-investment.
“If the Government doesn’t address pay then we risk losing even more valuable health workers, making the consequences of those workforce shortages even worse for patients.
“NHS staff not only deserve better pay but also desperately need it during this cost-of-living crisis.
“However, this dispute is also to protect patient services both now and into the future, and it’s essential that the government comes up with an improved offer to avert further strikes and demonstrate they understand the scale of the problem.”
