TRADE union members staged a four-hour strike and picket line outside Airedale Hospital this week.

The members of the GMB, Unite, RCM and Unison unions held the industrial action on Monday. (Oct 13) Gary Baker, GMB regional organiser, said: "This was not a knee jerk reaction.

Staff have thought long and hard but with increasing car park charges, removal of paid rest breaks, lack of staff and now the Government's refusal to implement the independent pay review body recommendations was the last straw.

"The public are behind health workers, patients are behind health workers, yet the Government undervalue the role of health workers.

"What is our health service going to be like in five years' time? I dread to think."

John Grogan, the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Keighley, attended today's picket.

He said: "Airedale Hospital has little tradition of taking industrial action, so the numbers on the picket line show how angry nurses, midwives and NHS Support Staff are.

"If the Scottish NHS can award a one per cent pay rise to all staff why not the same in England? The truth is that a culture of low pay is not helping the economy or curing the deficit."