An unhealthy walkout

EVERYOnE who has used the nHs knows that our nurses are overwhelmingly compassionate and dedicated.

They work long hours in often difficult conditions to deliver the best care they can to their patients. We all want them to be as well paid as possible. But we also have to balance that against financial reality.

That is why – though it will find sympathy in many quarters – the Royal College of nursing’s threat to go on strike unless its members receive a 17 per cent wage rise will set an alarming precedent.

With the Government scrambling to fill a massive budget black hole, the amount of money the country has got is hugely limited.

If nurses get a giant pay hike, every other public sector worker will demand the same. That’s not only unaffordable, but inflationary.

should industrial action go ahead, one group of people especially will lose out – the patients. Thousands of operations could be delayed or cancelled, leaving people in pain awaiting surgery for longer.

nursing unions should recognise their members have jobs for life and pensions many in the private sector can only dream of.

The unvarnished truth is that striking isn’t the answer. This is a political problem – and requires a political solution.