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Unite backs petition of 'no confidence' in the health secretary Jeremy Hunt

Unite is calling on MPs to support a petition that says Mr Hunt has alientated the 'entire workforce of the NHS'

Health union Unite has backed a petition of ‘no confidence’ in health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The union is urging MPs to support the petition, which has been signed by 220,000 people claiming Mr Hunt has ‘alienated the entire workforce of the NHS’.

The petition, set up by doctor Ash Sadighi, gained more than 100,000 signatures on the day it was launched and will be debated by MPs in parliament on Monday. 

NHS staff and medics have been angered by the health secretary’s plans for a ‘seven-day NHS’, claiming Hunt has ‘alienated the entire workforce of the NHS by threatening to impose a harsh contract and conditions on first consultants and soon the rest of the NHS staff’.

Unite, which has 100,000 members in the health service, is now urging MPs to back the motion.

The union’s national officer for health Barrie Brown said Mr Hunt is already unpopular for rejecting the 1% pay increase to NHS staff recommended by the independent pay review body.

He added: ‘Seven-day services are nothing new to our members who have provided 24/7 healthcare services for many years – but this fact has escaped Hunt’s understanding of the NHS.’

Mr Hunt will appear as a witness, answering the questions of the Commons health committee on Tuesday. 

Find the petition here