NHS trusts are preparing for 'bank holiday' services on strike days after nurses voted for industrial action over a pay dispute.
Several healthcare workers in Merseyside hospitals told the ECHO they're expecting nurse staffing levels akin to a weekend or bank holiday when nurses go on strike later this year, possibly over Christmas. Dates are yet to be confirmed, but hundreds of nurses in Liverpool will take part in industrial action after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) balloted its 300,0000 NHS workers for strike for the first time since since it was founded in 1916.
The dispute is over the government's offer of an average pay rise of 4.75% to nurses in England and Wales next year, which is a real-terms pay cut due to prices rising at the fastest rate in 40 years. The RCN is calling for a pay rise of five percentage point above inflation - an almost 17% pay increase.
