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The lowest paid NHS workers had to be given a salary top-up this year to avoid breaching national minimum wage laws, the head of a union said as she pleaded with ministers to negotiate pay.

Rachel Harrison, national secretary of the GMB union, told MPs that NHS staff had to be given more money this year by the health service.

Ambulance workers who are GMB members are striking on Wednesday, while nurses are taking industrial action today as both call for better pay, working conditions and patient conditions.

Nurses launch second day of strikes – live politics updates

Ms Harrison told the Health and Social Care Committee workers such as cleaners, call handlers, caterers and patient transport staff were being paid less than the minimum wage so had to be given more money to avoid the NHS being prosecuted by HMRC.

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The national minimum wage has been £9.50 an hour for adults aged 23 and over since April this year and was £8.91 the year before. It is rising to £10.42 from April next year.

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If an employer does not pay the national minimum wage HMRC can fine them up to £20,000 and take criminal legal proceedings.

Ms Harrison warned the NHS “will be in the same position” this year because the government is refusing to negotiate on pay for this fiscal year, ending in April.

“These are people that carry out crucial jobs within our NHS,” she told MPs.

“And because of a dated and not fit for purpose pay review body process that significantly delays getting money into people’s pockets and the approach of this government towards public service cuts and austerity means that we have got members working right across the NHS on low pay and this is the exact reason we’re seeing them leave.⁠”

Read more:
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How and who decides public sector pay?
Rail services to be crippled for a week – here are the latest strike dates

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‘Door is open’ to unions, says health minister

She added that she does not expect a pay offer to be made at a meeting later today with the health secretary after health minister Will Quince earlier told Sky News it would be about which cases ambulance workers would have to go to during the strike – and not pay.

“We’ve been given half an hour to meet with the secretary of state to discuss an emergency cover for tomorrow, which considering our strike starts at midnight, is a bit late in the day,” she said.

“But those agreements have already been reached at local level. So unless the secretary of state is willing to talk to us about pay today, those strikes are set to go ahead.”

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‘We’re committed to continue strikes’

Ministers have continually insisted pay negotiations are not up to them as the independent pay review bodies recommend what salary increases should be, and the government has accepted that.

The pay review bodies are made up of experts in their field without political affiliations who take evidence from a range of sources, including trade unions and staff.

Ms Harrison pleaded with Mr Barclay to talk to the unions and make a pay offer and accused the government of being behind the pay review body’s recommendation.

“GMB is refusing to engage with the pay review body this year because we believe the government is behind that recommendation that was made back in the spring of this year,” she added.

“And we believe that what we actually need to see is true reform of the pay review body process.”

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Hero who tackled and disarmed Bondi Beach gunman is Sydney fruit shop owner

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Hero who tackled and disarmed Bondi Beach gunman is Sydney fruit shop owner

A bystander hailed a hero after he tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen in the Bondi Beach shooting is a shop owner.

The man, named by a relative as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, was seen in a video running up to the attacker from behind and then grabbing the shotgun from his hands before pointing the weapon back at him.

The footage then showed the terrorist heading towards a bridge where another gunman was located, while the bystander placed the gun beside a tree.

Ahmed al Ahmed (in a white T-shirt) is seen in a video running up to a gunman from behind
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Ahmed al Ahmed (in a white T-shirt) is seen in a video running up to a gunman from behind

Mr Ahmed then wrestles with the attacker
Image:
Mr Ahmed then wrestles with the attacker

Live updates on Sydney shooting

Mr Ahmed, who was wearing a white T-shirt, was shot twice in the incident and was due to have surgery, his cousin, Mustafa, has revealed.

In a video on 7News, Mr Ahmed appeared to have a bloodied arm and hand, and was helped by other people near the scene in the Australian city.

At least 11 people were killed and 29 others injured in the attack when two gunmen opened fire from a bridge on crowds at a Jewish event around 6pm local time on Sunday evening.

More than 1,000 people had been at the gathering which was celebrating the festival of Hanukkah.

Mr Ahmed manages to get the gun off the terrorist
Image:
Mr Ahmed manages to get the gun off the terrorist

The bystander then points the weapon at the attacker who moves away towards a bridge
Image:
The bystander then points the weapon at the attacker who moves away towards a bridge

A gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition following the shooting.

One of the suspects was 24-year-old Naveed Akram.

His driver’s licence says he lives in Bonnyrigg, a suburb of Sydney. The identity of the other suspected attacker is not known.

Naveed Akram, 24, was one of the suspects
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Naveed Akram, 24, was one of the suspects

Mustafa said father-of-two Mr Ahmed, who owns a fruit shop in the Sydney suburb of Sutherland, did not have any experience with guns but was just walking past when he decided to step in.

He told 7News: “He’s in hospital and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside.

“We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero, 100%.”

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What we know about mass shooting

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One of the suspected gunmen has been named as 24-year-old Naveed Akram.

The footage of the bystander’s actions spread quickly on social media as people praised the man for his bravery, saying his actions had potentially saved many lives.

“Australian hero (random civilian) wrestles gun off attacker and disarms him. Some people are brave and then some people are… whatever this is,” one person said on X, sharing the video.

“This Australian man saved countless lives by stripping the gun off one of the terrorists at Bondi beach. HERO,” another said.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, where Sydney is located, said it was the “most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”.

“A man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless other people.”

“That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery,” he added.

The country’s prime minister Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others”.

“These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,” he told a news conference.

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Photographer ‘locked eyes’ with gunman, as witness describes Bondi ‘warzone’

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Photographer 'locked eyes' with gunman, as witness describes Bondi 'warzone'

Messages were sweeping across Sydney within minutes of the attack at Bondi Beach.

Parents messaged their children and teenagers, who had been enjoying a late afternoon swim at Bondi.

Witnesses said police were on the scene quickly, and the streets of Sydney’s eastern suburbs were full of police cars and ambulances on their way to Bondi.

Follow live: 11 people killed at event celebrating Hanukkah

When we arrived, there were still dozens of people processing what had happened, and everywhere – shock.

Witnesses told us that when the gunfire started some people took cover in the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. Once the threat was over, lifeguards helped the injured and used surfboards to carry them out.

Witnesses tell Sky's Nicole Johnston of Bondi 'warzone'
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Witnesses tell Sky’s Nicole Johnston of Bondi ‘warzone’

Some people were clearly traumatised and provided graphic detail of witnessing the shooting and seeing people killed in front of them.

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A photographer, Danny, was covering the Jewish holiday event.

Read more: What we know so far

He said he “locked eyes” with one of the gunmen, who then fired towards him. Danny said he was grazed by a bullet. He kept filming during the shooting, while taking cover.

Sam, from France, was working at Bondi. He went to the scene of the attack and saw almost a dozen people lying on the ground covered in blood. Sam described it as like a “war zone”.

Rabbi Lei Wolff, from Central Synagogue in Sydney, went to Bondi as soon as he heard about the mass shooting. A dear friend of his, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was killed in the attack.

Rabbi Wolff has called on people around the world to stand with Australia’s Jewish community against terrorism.

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Israel says Hamas commander – who was one of the architects of the 7 October 2023 attacks – killed in strike

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Israel says Hamas commander - who was one of the architects of the 7 October 2023 attacks - killed in strike

A senior Hamas commander who was one of the architects of the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel has been killed in a strike on Gaza City, according to the country’s military.

Raed Saad was targeted in response to an attack by Hamas in which an explosive device injured two soldiers on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.

It is the highest-profile killing of a senior Hamas figure since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect in October.

Gaza health authorities said the attack on a car in Gaza City killed five people and wounded at least 25 others, but there has been no confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead.

Raed Saed
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Raed Saed

Hamas condemned the attack in a statement as a violation of the ceasefire agreement but stopped short of threatening retaliation.

An Israeli military official described Saed as a high-ranked Hamas member who helped establish and advance the group’s weapons production network.

“In recent months, he operated to re-establish Hamas’ capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.

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The 10 October ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City’s ruins after a war that began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health officials in Gaza.

Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased, but violence has not completely stopped.

Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed at least 386 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce, while Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed.

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