Nurses across the UK have voted for a national strike to demand higher pay in a first, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union announced on Wednesday, as the country is hit by a record inflation. The strike “should begin before the end of the year”, announced the RCN in a press release without further details. “Many of the biggest hospitals in England will be affected” by this social movement, he added.
The strike will concern health establishments under the public system in which a majority of nurses voted in favor of the movement, specifies the union. “The results are loud and clear,” reacted Pat Cullen, secretary of the RCN, quoted in the press release.
“The anger turned into action, our members said that + enough is enough +”, she added, denouncing the working conditions and the low salaries of the nurses. A recent analysis showed that the salary of an experienced nurse has fallen by 20% in real terms since 2010.
A salary increase of 5% above inflation
The union is asking for a wage increase of 5% more than inflation measured by the retail price index, which exceeded 12% in September (the consumer price index, a benchmark for assessing the general level prices, reached 10.1% in September).
The exact nature of the strike has not yet been determined, but it is likely that patients, already facing record waiting lists, will face disruptions to operations and appointments. “This action is as much for the patients as for the nurses. The conditions have deteriorated so much and we have strong public support to improve them”, defended Pat Cullen, calling on the government to release funds within the framework of the budget that he is due to present next week.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt are already facing a £50billion (€56.7billion) hole in public finances, but claimed the public health system (NHS ) is one of their priorities. “We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our nurses,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters on Wednesday. The government is in favor of a “fair” wage settlement with the RCN, he added.
“In the current situation, it is simply not possible”
But the demand for a 17% pay rise, if extended to all NHS workers, would cost 9 billion pounds (10.2 billion euros), the spokesperson continued. “In the current situation, that’s just not possible,” he said.
Health Minister Steve Barclay also praised the work of NHS workers in a statement but said he “deeply regrets” this vote, recalling that the government has awarded more than a million NHS workers a raise of 1,400 pounds this year, after a 3% increase last year. “Our priority is to ensure patient safety during the strike,” he added.
Union actions have been linked in recent months in the country against a backdrop of galloping inflation. Tens of thousands of employees in various sectors – from the post office to legal systems to telecommunications – have gone on strike since this summer.