In UK first, nurses vote to strike: media

In UK first, nurses vote to strike: media

Nurses in the UK are campaigning for a pay rise of five percent above inflation
Nurses in the UK are campaigning for a pay rise of five percent above inflation. Photo: Niklas HALLE'N / AFP/File
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Nurses across the UK have voted to strike in their first national action over a pay dispute, a media report said on Sunday.

The strike ballot among more than 300,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) was the biggest in the union's 106-year history.

"Our strike action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses -- we have their support in doing this," secretary Pat Cullen said.

Although counting is still underway, the domestic PA news agency reported that RCN officials believed enough members had voted for winter industrial action, which is set to take place within a few weeks, possibly before Christmas.

The RCN is campaigning for a pay rise of five percent above the soaring inflation.

Read also

Thousands march in Peru calling for president's removal

The exact nature of the strike is yet to be determined, but is likely to disrupt operations and appointments even as patients are already facing record waiting lists.

PAY ATTENTION: Enjoy reading our stories? Join YEN.com.gh's Telegram channel for more!

"This will see the majority of services taken out, and picket lines across the country," a union source told the Observer newspaper.

It also comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt already face the huge challenge of tackling a 50 billion pound ($57 billion) hole in public finances.

The UK, which is struggling with a cost of living crisis, has seen a wave of industrial action in recent months.

Tens of thousands of staff in various industries -- from the postal and legal systems to ports and telecommunications -- have gone one strike across Britain since the summer.

The RCN said there were record nursing vacancies as 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in the last year.

Read also

Kenya Airways pilots to strike from Saturday

Recent analysis showed an experienced nurse's salary has fallen by 20 percent in real terms since 2010, and the RCN said the goodwill and expertise of nursing staff was being "exploited" by governments across the UK.

New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.