NO NURSES TO STRIKE AT THE ROYAL STOKE

Too few members vote in RCN union’s ballot

ROYAL Stoke nurses will not walk out on strike – because too few of them voted in the ballot.

Only 48.5 per cent of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members at the trust returned their papers – just shy of the 50 per cent threshold.

It means they will not be one of the 176 trusts walking out in the national dispute over pay. Action is expected by the end of the year.

Of the votes cast by

RCN members at the University Hospitals of the

North Midlands

NHS Trust,

92.13% voted in favour of industrial action.

Just 7.87% opposed it. It means the union was 30 ballots short of being able to take part in the call for change.

The strike will be the first time Uk-wide action is taken by RCN members in its 106year history.

They have backed action in response to a £1,400 pay rise announced by the Government – which the RCN says after inflation will be a significant real terms pay cut. It works out at about a 4% pay rise on average.

When asked if the reason why staff didn’t return their ballots is because they are happy with their pay, Royal Stoke’s RCN official Rob Irving, below, said: “I don’t think so.”

He added: “Nurses are so demoralised that they are at the point of feeling like what’s the point, it will not get better. They have almost resigned to the fact that their position in looking after their patients is so bad that they can’t see it getting any better no matter what they do.

“I suspect people who didn’t want to vote in favour of strike action simply didn’t return their ballot papers. It’s a real shame and disappointment

“If those people who wanted to vote ‘No’ returned their ballot papers, ironically we would’ve had a successful ballot.

“Unison are still balloting their members and we can show support by encouraging

Unison members to return their ballots. Would they be successful, we would offer our solidarity and support to their members who are taking action.”

Mr Irving added that another ballot could potentially happen.

He said: “It would be up to the RCN hierarchy as to whether they go ahead with that. Lessons learnt from this ballot is that if another one took place I would be very confident that we would get a yes vote because we were so close to it.

“Your voice really does matter. It’s not the case of what’s the point, you will make a difference - all is not lost, your voice does matter.

“Staff can’t be moved to other hospitals to take part. Only people who’ve been balloted in those particular trusts can take industrial action in that trust and it would be illegal for us to move our members.”

The NHS Confederation, which represents health managers, has urged the Government and RCN to return to the negotiating table.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the Government’s priority would be ‘keeping people safe’ during a strike.