Nurses in Newcastle taking part in a fresh set of strikes over an ongoing pay dispute with the Government have warned NHS patients are suffering every day - not because of strike action.
Waving placards demanding fair pay and stating “It's time to pay nursing staff fairly”, nurses from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) could be seen outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
It comes after members of the RCN and Unite union rejected a Government offer which included a 5 per cent pay rise this year and a cash payment for last year.
READ MORE: List of all North East schools set to close due to teachers' strike on Tuesday May 2
Many nursing staff are expected to join the strike in this latest wave of industrial action which started at 8pm on Sunday and will last until midnight on Monday May 1.
Nurse Alison, who was stood on the picket line, warned patients are suffering every day - not just because of strike action.
She said: "We are here to deliver the message again that we need to make sure out patients are safe and we need enough nurses to do the job that is required.
"We are seriously worried about the number of nurses leaving the profession and are desperately worried about the number of nurses choosing not to come into the profession.
"We had another drop off in applications for nursing this year and we are creating a perfect storm here, ultimately it is the patients who suffer.
"We don't want patients to suffer but on a day-to-day basis working in the NHS patients are suffering, today is not unique. Patients are suffering.
"We work very hard to make sure that isn't the case but it is at the expense of the nurses mental health, well-being, time with their families and in the cost of living crisis it is becoming more and more difficult to expect nurses to stay.
"One way to sort that is pay people a decent amount of moment for the job they do."
Members of the GMB have voted to accept the Government's pay offer to health workers, with a total of 56% of members voting to accept the deal, with 44% rejecting it and an overall turnout of 51%. Members of other unions, including Unison, have also accepted the offer.
The latest action comes after Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said the 28-hour nursing strike is “premature” and “disrespectful” to other unions.
The comments come ahead of a meeting of the NHS Staff Council, made up of health unions, employers and Government representatives, which will discuss the Government’s 5% pay offer.
“I think this strike is premature and is disrespectful to those trade unions that will be meeting on Tuesday,” he told broadcasters.
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