TORY attempts to use the war in Ukraine to justify yet more real-terms pay cuts for public workers is a “new low for this government,” unions stressed today.

The charge came after Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi claimed inflation-proof wage boosts would further stoke rising prices amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing assault on Kiev.

The former education secretary also told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme that upcoming national strikes across the NHS and the rail network during the festive period would be “unfair.”

“Unions should rethink and reflect on the damage and disruption to people’s lives and livelihoods at Christmas because that is exactly what Putin wants to see — let’s not divide, let’s come together.”

However, the Royal College of Nursing, which is due to launch its first ever national NHS strike over pay and declining patient safety on December 15, said the public “does not believe this kind of rhetoric and wants ministers to address our dispute.”

General secretary Pat Cullen said: “Nursing staff cannot afford their food and other bills and still fear the worst on energy this winter.

“But our campaign is about more than today’s cost-of-living crisis — it’s a cry for help for an NHS that’s had a decade of neglect.

“I reiterate my commitment to meeting with ministers to address our dispute. Instead of negotiating with nurses, they are choosing strike action.”

Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton accused ministers of “ratcheting up the rhetoric and picking fights with ambulance workers and their NHS colleagues.

“This won’t go down well with the public,” she warned. “People have lots of sympathy for health workers and know that if wages improve, so will vacancy rates and patient care.”