ANDY Burnham warned striking doctors there was no money for bigger pay rises as he urged them to abandon plans for a winter walkout.
yesterday slammed the British Medical Association for .
He warned the would “struggle” under the industrial action and called for a “conversation” before pushing ahead.
Consultants are paid a minimum of £113,000 a year but the union have dismissed a 2.4 per cent pay offer.
Mr Burnham said he would not budge on pay, saying: “It’s just a fact, we have eked out what we could at the Budget for the NHS.”
minister Karim Smyth told Times Radio that the were “disappointing”.
The Minister urged the BMA to “call them off”.
She said: “We want to continue to work to improve consultants’ lives and make sure we get the NHS back on its feet.”
She replied to concerns over pay that “consultants have had significant pay rises in the last few years”.
She also reiterated the need for last-ditch discussions to avoid a Day-style service later this month.
It comes as Burnham pledged a £190million funding increase to address NHS pressures.
A YouGov poll shows that 58 per cent of the British public oppose the strikes.
