The chairman of the Conservative Party has stated that a strike by NHS nurses is “exactly what Putin wants to see.”
Up to 100,000 nurses are set to go on strike on December 15 and 20 in a pay and conditions dispute.
Nadhim Zahawi, speaking on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg programme on Sunday, rejected their demands and attempted to link it to the conflict in Ukraine.
“Coming up to Christmas it’s unfair, in my view, for the unions to really damage and disrupt people’s lives and livelihoods,” he said.
“They should really rethink and they should reflect on this. That’s exactly what Putin wants to see – that division. Let’s not divide, let’s come together.”
RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen, said: “Using Russia’s war in Ukraine as a justification for a real-terms pay cut for nurses in the UK is a new low for this government.
“The public does not believe this kind of rhetoric and wants ministers to address our dispute.
“Nursing staff cannot afford their food and other bills and still fear the worst on energy this winter.”
Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Christine Jardine branded Zahawi “ludicrous and insulting” for suggesting Putin was responsible for nurses going on strike.
“The responsibility lies firmly with this Conservative government’s shambolic failure to find a solution,” she said.
“Conservative ministers wasted billions of taxpayers’ money on dodgy PPE contracts and now are refusing to offer a fair pay rise to nurses.
“It is a clear demonstration of how out of touch Zahawi and this Conservative government really are.”