Posted 26 May 2023 - 11:27
Posted 26 May 2023 - 11:27
News
Nurses to stage 24-hour strike at London trust over pay
Unite members to walk out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust as union puts pressure on government to re-open pay negotiations
Unite members to walk out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust as union puts pressure on government to re-open pay negotiations
Hundreds of nurses are set to take part in a 24-hour walk-out at a major London hospital trust as unions continue to press for a fresh pay deal.
Unite announced it would be staging a strike at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust starting at 7am on 1 June.
Trust has around 350 nurses who are Unite members
The union said the strike was part of targeted industrial action designed to put pressure on the government to re-open pay negotiations after Unite and the RCN rejected the offer for 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Unite said it represents around 1,000 health service workers at the trust, including around 350 nurses.
The trust said the strike would affect services across its hospital and community sites, and some procedures and appointments would need to be postponed.
The walk-out in London will be followed by a seven-hour strike on 2 June by Unite members employed by Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
Union says ‘experienced staff are leaving the NHS in droves’
Most health unions in England have accepted a 5% pay rise for this year and a cash payment for last year, but Unite and the RCN remain in dispute.
‘The current pay deal does not address the fundamental problems undermining the NHS,’ said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
‘Workers have suffered real terms pay cuts for over a decade and can no longer afford to make ends meet, resulting in experienced staff leaving the NHS in droves.’
Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab added: ‘Our members are entirely committed to their jobs but can no longer stand idly by as they watch the NHS crumble around them, which is placing patients in danger on a daily basis.’
Fresh RCN strike ballot launched
RCN members in England started voting on 23 May on whether to continue taking strike action.
The union is urging members who work for the NHS and are employed on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts to vote ‘yes’ to compel the government to return to the negotiating table.
Government says nurses were offered a ‘fair and reasonable deal’
The Department for Health and Social Care said it was disappointing that some unions were continuing to strike.
It said nurses and others on AfC contracts had been offered a ‘fair and reasonable deal’ that had been accepted by the majority of NHS staff, and hoped those currently being balloted would decide it was time to stop striking.
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