Almost half a million NHS workers – including thousands in Kirklees and Calderdale – are to go on strike for the first time in a generation.
Members of trade unions, Unison, Unite, GMB and the Royal College of Midwives have all voted for joint industrial action in protest at a pay freeze.
The strike, from 7am to 11am on Monday, is the first large scale NHS action since 1974.
It will affect many elements of the NHS, including hospitals, maternity units, the ambulance service, and community health centres.
Union members are also “working to rule” for the remainder of the week, meaning they will refuse to do overtime or miss their breaks.
But the majority of nurses and doctors are not expected to join the walk out as neither nurses’ union, the Royal College of Nursing, or doctors’ union, the British Medical Association, have been balloted on strike action.
Yorkshire Ambulance Branch members said they would be providing ‘life and limb’ cover only during the four-hour walk out but midwives have vowed to oversee any births as normal.
Lynne Galvin, Yorkshire and Humber organiser for the Royal College of Midwives, said expectant parents should not be worried.
“Any mums who are due to give birth on Monday will be given the same excellent care as usual,” she said.
“Midwives who are on duty for essential care will be working as normal.
“Midwives who are not working or not involved in essential care will be on strike. There will be some community ante-natal clinics that will be rescheduled and some disruption to non-essential care.”
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust said it was not expecting any significant disruption to services at the infirmary or Calderdale Royal Hospital.
Medical director, David Birkenhead, said: “At present, the Trust is not expecting the day of industrial action by some unions on Monday to disrupt our ability to deliver care for all our patients.
“We have extensive contingency plans in place in all areas to ensure our Trust continues to deliver a full range of care and support services for all our inpatients and outpatients.
“If you have an appointment on the day please attend as usual.”
Meanwhile, workers in x-ray and scanning departments have notified they will strike the following Monday, October 20.
Members of the Society of Radiographers’ will take walk out for four hours and work to rule for the remaining four days of the week.
Increasing salaries by this amount would add £500m to the pay bill.
The decision left 60% of NHS staff and 70% of nurses with no pay rise for the next two years.
Unison, the largest health union which has thousands of members at the hospital trust and the ambulance service, said it had an overwhelming mandate after 68% of members voted in favour of action.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “NHS members don’t take action often or lightly. For many of our members this will be the first time they walk out as the last action over pay was 32 years ago. The NHS runs on the goodwill of its workers, but this Government has shown utter contempt for them.
“We are working with NHS employers to minimise the impact on patients. But it’s not too late for Jeremy Hunt to act to avoid this and we repeat our offer to the government to negotiate with us despite him refusing to meet with health unions about pay.”
There were 1,203,519 staff employed by the NHS in England in June 2014.
A two-year pay freeze was imposed after the coalition government came to power in 2010, followed by a 1% pay cap for all public sector workers in 2013/14 and 2014/15. Those earning below £21,000 during the pay freeze received a £250 pay rise.
