Nurses stood in the freezing cold on picket lines as “bullyboy” Health Secretary Steve Barclay was condemned for turning his back on them and their patients by refusing to act to resolve the dispute.
Tens of thousands of nursing staff walked out in the biggest strike in the Royal College of Nursing’s 106-year history as the government failed to budge on their paltry pay offer of 4% to 5%.
After standing side by side with nurses on the picket lines, RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: “On a bitterly cold day, the public warmth towards nursing staff was immense.”
