The Scottish Health Secretary is meeting with unions today to try to avert strikes in January after he and the First Minister were able to do so with nursing, ambulance and other health service workers’ unions to stop or at least pause strike action over Christmas and the New Year.
The print version of the Herald has a more confrontational headline: ‘Nurses told: There is no more cash for rises, as stike looms.’
What are the other health secretaries doing to try to avert this crisis?
England? Health Secretary Steve Barclay is keeping out of things and Business Secretary, Grant Shapps, is representing the Con Government position:
Wales? Their health secretary is silent but FM Drakeford ducks any responsibility with
Mark Drakeford says Wales cannot afford the money nurses are asking for
The First Minister placed the blame with the UK Government and said his government’s hands are tied
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/mark-drakeford-says-wales-cannot-25781708
Northern Ireland?
Eh…what…who? Try searching ‘Northern Ireland health secretary nurses’ and you get stuff on Pat Cullen, RCN leader or Steve Barclay!
Talking-up Scotland 
Northern Ireland has not had a Health Secretary since the DUP, collapsed Stormont several years ago, and, despite losing the election still continues to veto the formation of any government. The assembly members have had their pay cut, and Civil Servants and the Westminster Secretary of State for NI, run the services, including health.
The DUP, despite NI voting by a majority to remain in the EU, and the NI Protocol negotiated by the habitual liar, Boris Johnson, in effect allowing NI to remain in the EU, they want the legal international agreement broken unilaterally so that NI can remain part of the UK (which, of course it still is). The fact that most DUP politicians have availed themselves of Irish citizenship and, consequently, European citizenship is, of course, not hypocrisy, because ‘handsome is as handsome does’. Despite losing the election and, likely, every future election, because of the demographics, they do not want ‘the Taigs’ to be running Stormont, even though, since the Paisley/ McGuinness ‘chuckle brothers’ joint governance, the Taigs have been in government because of the democratically approved and internationally safeguarded Good Friday Agreement c2000. Despite the GFA, permitting a ‘border poll’ where a simple majority will suffice, the DUP wants this changed to a 70% majority to prevent the relentless demographics towards an increasing Taig majority being decisive. And, since the DUP, are allied with the Tories, they hate trade unions, because they are communist’ and despite most DUP voters being working class, they stand by the Tory intransigence. So, ‘no surrender’ to the NHS workers in NI. However, since Westminster is running NI, the DUP cannot be blamed for people in NI suffering.
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Wasn’t that “last ditch” occupied by Johnson of that ilk ?
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