The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the strike will affect the majority of NHS employers in the UK as nurses take action against pay levels and patient safety concerns. The union said many of England’s biggest hospitals would see strike action, but others were “skipping” the legal participation thresholds required for action. All NHS employers in Northern Ireland and Scotland would be included and all employers in Wales met the threshold, they added. RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: “The anger has turned into action – our members are saying enough is enough. “The voice of nursing in the UK is strong and I will make sure it is heard. Our members will no longer put up with a financial cut at home and a raw deal at work. “Ministers need to look in the mirror and ask how long they are going to put nursing staff through this. “While we plan our strike action, next week’s Budget is the UK Government’s chance to signal a new direction with serious investment. Across the country, politicians have the power to stop it now and at any time. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 13:37 Education Secretary Gillian Keegan: “It makes no sense” for nurses to strike “This action will be for both patients and nurses. “Standards are falling too low and we have strong public support for our campaign to raise them. This winter, we’re asking the public to show nursing staff that you stand with us.” The union had urged more than 300,000 of its members to vote in favor of industrial action over pay in the first UK-wide industrial action legislative vote in the Royal College of Nursing’s 106-year history. It had asked its members to receive a pay rise of 5% above the rate of RPI inflation, which is currently over 12%. This request was not met by any UK state. Recent analysis showed that the salary of an experienced nurse has fallen by 20% in real terms since 2010, the RCN said, adding that nurses are working the equivalent of one day a week for nothing. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:30 Patient confronts PM over nurses’ pay “Deep sadness” and “difficult times” – the response of the health minister Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “We are all very grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff, including nurses, and we deeply regret that some union members have voted in favor of industrial action. “These are challenging times, which is why we have fully accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS pay review body and given over a million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year. “This is on top of last year’s 3% pay rise, when public sector wages were frozen and wider government support with the cost of living. “Our priority is to keep patients safe during any strikes. The NHS has tried and tested plans to minimize disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.” ‘An NHS strike this winter is not inevitable’ Wes Streeting MP, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: “There have been no strikes in the NHS in the 13 years that Labor was last in government. “If we were in power today, we would be talking to the RCN and doing everything we could to prevent these strikes.” The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, offered “support and solidarity” to nurses, with deputy president Dr Emma Runswick adding: “It is still up to the government to pay health staff fairly for vital, often life-saving work that they do. “We urge the Government to listen to the concerns of frontline health staff and make the investment that the NHS and its workforce so desperately need.” Meanwhile, health workers in other unions, including ambulance staff, hospital porters and cleaners, are also voting on industrial action over pay. UNISON health chief Sara Gorton said: “An NHS strike this winter is not inevitable. “Unions want to work with ministers to solve the NHS staffing crisis and its impact on patient care. But that must start with another pay rise for health workers. Otherwise, delays and waits for patients will not decrease.”
