A number of striking workers joined together for the May Day rally through Bristol city centre as the nurse walkout continues. Members from Unison, Unite, Equity, University and College Union, National Education Union and the Royal College of Nursing were all present at the rally on Monday (May 1) as part of a string of demonstrations across the world.
The workers gathered at Castle Park in the city centre on Monday at 12noon to begin their march to the RCN picket line at Bristol Royal Infirmary. The latest 28-hour nurses' strike is due to a dispute over pay and working conditions set to last until midnight tonight.
It is the first time RCN members have walked out of all departments, including intensive care. The strike action was said to have impacted more than half of England's NHS hospitals and will have repercussions on services, NHS bosses warned.
Read more: Police close off park as hundreds turn up for mass gathering
Bristol's May Day rally saw the trade unions march through around the city centre carrying banners and flags. There were also a number of speeches from union members detailing how workers have been impacted, including pay and working conditions.
May Day, also called Workers' Day or International Workers' Day, commemorates the struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement. It occurs every year on the first Monday of May.
The Bristol march part of a series of workers' rallies all over the world. In France, there was anger over pensions as hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested after clashes with police.
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