British nurses to strike over pay

LONDON. – Tens of thousands of British nurses will go on strike for the first time over demands for better pay, their trade union said yesterday, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during an economic crisis.

Nurses at the majority of state-run National Health Service (NHS) employers across Britain have voted to strike, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said in action that threatens major disruption to an already strained health system.

The RCN, which has more than 300 000 members, said industrial action would begin before the end of the year following the first ever strike vote in its 106-year-old history.

“Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough,” RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement. “This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low.”

NHS nurses have seen their salaries cut by up to 20 percent in real terms over the last ten years, the RCN has said. The union is asking for a pay hike of 5 percent over inflation.

Britain has seen a wave of industrial unrest this year across a range of professions as pay rises fail to keep up with inflation running at 10%.

Sunak’s spokesperson said yesterday the government wanted to strike a balance between the “crucial role” played by nurses and its fiscal challenges.

The RCN’s demands would amount to combined pay rises costing £9 billion which would be “simply not deliverable,” the spokesperson said, adding there were contingency plans in place for any “staff impact”.

The strike will come as the NHS faces its worst ever staffing crisis while it is still recovering from the hit to services during the COVID-19 pandemic. – Reuters