AN “INACCURATE” newspaper report on NHS pay talks could “scupper the chances of health workers getting a decent deal,” the Unite union warned yesterday.

The Guardian reported that more than a million NHS staff are to be offered a 6.5 per cent pay rise in exchange for giving up a day’s annual leave.

Government negotiators have said that the cut in leave entitlement is a “red line”, according to the paper.

But Unite national officer for health Sarah Carpenter said: “The details in the article are incomplete, unconfirmed and inaccurate in part.

“The consequences of such an article could either scupper the chances of health workers getting a decent deal after years of pay austerity or to prevent the NHS trade unions being able to present the final position to the media on behalf of our members.
 
“Either way, spreading incomplete information is unhelpful at this delicate juncture in the negotiations.”