Posted 21 December 2022 - 11:38
Posted 21 December 2022 - 11:38
News
More strike days for nurses to be announced by Friday
Dates and hospitals for walkouts in January will be set unless government agrees to pay talks, says RCN’s Pat Cullen after second strike saw impressive turnout
Dates and hospitals for walkouts in January will be set unless government agrees to pay talks, says RCN’s Pat Cullen after second strike saw impressive turnout
New strike days for nurses are set to be announced by Friday unless the government agrees to enter pay talks in the next two days.
Following yesterday’s second day of historic strike action RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said the ‘clock is running’ for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as the government continue to affirm it will not review the pay offer of £1,400.
The RCN said that if no meeting about pay is sought, more dates for planned walkouts in January will be announced by 23 December.
Ms Cullen said in a statement on Tuesday evening: ‘Today the prime minister looked out of step with the country he leads. But he could still make this the last nurses' strike of his premiership.
‘With the end of today’s strike, a clock is running for the prime minister. There are two days for us to meet and begin to turn this around by Christmas. By Friday we will be announcing the dates and hospitals for a strike next month.’
Striking nurses pushed to ‘last resort’ due to fears for patients and future of NHS
Yesterday thousands of nurses took to picket lines across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the second time in a week over concerns about safe staffing, pay and nurse retention.
Some strike sites saw an impressive turnout, with hundreds gathering at hospitals in Birmingham, Liverpool, Gloucester, London, Cardiff, Belfast and Gateshead. Nurses kept each other going by blasting music, singing Christmas carols, and chanting for fair pay.
But despite jovial scenes, the undercurrent was serious, as many nursing staff told of how they had been pushed to this ‘last resort’ action due to their fears for their patients and the future of the NHS.
Barclay says RCN’s demands are unaffordable and would take money away from front-line services
Meanwhile, health and social care secretary Steve Barclay wrote in the Daily Telegraph today that unions were ‘choosing to put patient safety at risk’, as ambulance staff also hold strikes today.
Ms Cullen urged the government to meet to resolve the dispute quickly. She added: ‘Westminster may be shutting for Christmas but nursing staff are readying for their shifts over the next two weeks and looking at the New Year with trepidation. We are not looking for a miracle, just the fair pay and recognition that is in the prime minister’s gift.’
Mr Barclay told the Nursing Standard: ‘The RCN’s demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from front-line services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic. I’m open to engaging with the unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work.’
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