IT IS possibly one of the oldest tactics in the book — and yet again we see it being unleashed to divide public service workers and the public during the current fightback against the cost-of-living crisis.

I have been a front-line NHS nurse for 10 years, and during this time I have seen the government and those running organisations within our NHS successfully divide workers and stifle trade union organisation.

We’ve seen top Tories paraded before TV cameras during the latest wave of strike action by the RMT using examples of nurses and other public-sector workers to try and paint a narrative that rail workers are causing detriment to other front-line services.

These same government ministers now claiming to care about NHS and other service workers are the same who have repeatedly ignored calls for real terms pay rises and actively voted against them.

It is not the fault of rail workers that NHS workers are underpaid, nor is it their fault that they have taken action to fight for their rights and jobs. This is a message that has been pushed for many years, pitting workers against workers.

The government has just announced an insulting “pay award” for NHS staff, months behind its scheduled date. On average it equals an increase of just 71p an hour for many workers and is well below inflation and rising costs.

NHS nurses are already over £6,000 per year worse off now than in 2010 when the Conservative Party first took office and implemented austerity measures. Essential, low-paid and mostly women workers, such as domestics and porters, have also seen their pay cut by thousands and their job itinerary increase. No other public-sector worker is to blame for this. It is a direct attack from above.

Unison and other health unions will now consult their members on what action should be taken, with many voicing their discontent at the offer on display. Organising within the NHS has always been an uphill battle and this will prove to be one of the biggest tests of our generation.

The pandemic made it difficult to communicate to union members within healthcare settings due to restrictions — and this setback was evident when members were balloted on the last pay award, with dismal interaction and returns well below the threshold.

However, we as trade unionists must learn from what went wrong and encourage our unions to progress. For too long our health unions have been reactive, not proactive — too concerned with selling ourselves as an insurance policy rather than a member-run organising unit.

It is essential that we, as public service workers, fight the dividing tactics and stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow workers. We must also learn from them and those unions currently organising successfully.

Only as a collective working class can we overcome these attacks. I urge my fellow healthcare workers to attend their local picket lines, start these conversions in your workplace, challenge this narrative — and most importantly — organise.

Iain Mooney is an NHS nurse, Labour Party councillor and Unison convener.