A minister was booed and heckled by health workers todaywhen he tried to defend the Government's policies on the NHS which threaten to spark a summer of strikes.

Health Minister Andy Burnham faced a wall of silence when he stood up to address Unison's health workers' conference in Brighton.

Dozens of delegates held up posters which read: "Low pay, no way, NHS here to stay."

Then there was regular heckling and booing and some of the delegates laughed at parts of the minister's speech.

In a brief question and answer session later, delegates criticised the Government for staggering a 2.5 per cent pay rise for health workers which will reduce the value of the award to 1.9 per cent.

Unison is threatening industrial action which could hit the health service this summer.

One delegate told the minister that staff at Whipps Cross Hospital in east London were under intense pressure because hundreds of jobs had been axed to balance the books.

The delegate told Mr Burnham that the hospital was "on its knees".

Another delegate told him that his job title of Minister for Health Reform was a euphemism for privatisation.

"You did not mention the billions of pounds going to the private sector. When are you going to reverse this policy and put the money into services, staff salaries and training?"

Another delegate asked Mr Burnham how the Government justified staggering the pay award when health workers were struggling to cope with rising housing and other costs.

The minister acknowledged that the decision to stage the pay award had disappointed workers but he said it was taken with the broader interests of the economy in mind because of the threat of inflation.