Union calls on Queen to settle jubilee row

Unite said many NHS employers in England were treating June 5 as a normal day, even though the Government has declared it a bank holiday.

In a letter to the Queen, Unite’s head of health Rachael Maskell said: “I am asking if you could make an intervention to ensure that hard-working NHS staff in England will be afforded the opportunity, with the rest of the nation, to celebrate Your Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.”

Unite said NHS staff who work on June 5 should receive the same nationally-agreed public holiday pay rates as other public sector workers.

Ms Maskell said:” NHS employers intend to blatantly flout the spirit of this once-in-a lifetime day.”