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With pay rises failing to keep up with double-digit inflation,
which is now around 40-year highs, nurses, ambulance staff and
rail workers are among those who have staged walkouts, with
teachers also being balloted over action.
Teaching unions, who will announce the result of their strike
ballots later this week, are due to meet with the education
minister, while the health minister will hold talks with unions
representing ambulance workers and nurses, and the transport
minister will meet rail unions.
The government has argued that inflation-matching pay rises will
only fuel further price increases and cause interest rates and
mortgage payments to go up further.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the talks were a "positive
development".
"We've always said that the government is happy to talk about
pay demands and pay issues that are anchored in what's
reasonable, what's responsible, what's affordable for the
country," Sunak told reporters during a visit to a health centre
on Monday.
On Sunday, Sunak said he was willing to discuss pay rises for
nurses in England, who are due to go on strike again on Jan. 18
and 19 after walking out for two days in December.
Unions have said they will only call off strikes in the next few
weeks if offers are made to resolve the disputes over this
year's pay settlement, while the government wants to negotiate
pay rises for next year.
Asked about media reports the government was considering making
a one-off payment to nurses to help with the cost of living,
Sunak declined to comment on specifics.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Sarah Young)
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