A PLANNED strike by ambulance staff across Northern Ireland on Thursday has now been suspended.

Talks were held in England on Tuesday between union members and the government.

Staff in the province as well as England were threatening to strike in response to a decision not to implement a 1 per cent increase in NHS staff salaries across the board.

Unison said a new pay proposal has now been put forward by the government.

The government pay review body had originally recommended a minimum increase of 1%.

The increase was implemented in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland.

Unison’s head of health and the unions’ lead negotiator, Christina McAnea, said the new offer “wasn’t great”, but addressed some of the key concerns unions had about low pay in the NHS.

She said unions would now consult their members about the proposal.

“It will be up to members to decide whether to accept or reject the proposals. If they choose to reject them we will move to further industrial action,” she added.

Another planned walk-out in February has also been suspended.