United Kingdom Nurses Ready for Strike

On Wednesday, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced that nurses will go on strike before the end of this year.

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The Union denounced that 25,000 nurses left the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registry over the last year. This situation has created problems for the UK health system.

"Poor pay contributes to staff shortages across the UK, affecting patient safety. There are 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in England's NHS alone," RCN pointed out.

In England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, nurses are demanding that the UK authorities pass a budget to improve wages and make real investments in the health sector.

"The Fair Pay for Nursing campaign is calling for a pay rise of 5 percent above inflation (measured by the Retail Price Index)," the Royall College explained.

“Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough. The voice of nursing in the UK is strong and I will make sure it is heard. Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work," RCN Secretary Pat Cullen said.

“Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this. While we plan our strike action, next week’s Budget is the UK government’s opportunity to signal a new direction with serious investment," she added.

“This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low and we have strong public backing for our campaign to raise them. This winter, we are asking the public to show nursing staff you are with us,” Cullen stressed.