Nurses across the UK have voted in favour of strike action in an unprecedented move, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed.
Staff in 131 NHS organisations across England, 12 in Wales, 23 in Scotland and 11 in Northern Ireland have voted for strike action.
The RCN said many of the biggest hospitals in England will see strike action following the vote, while some “narrowly missed” the legal turnout threshold.
All NHS employers in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be included and all bar one in Wales met the relevant legal thresholds.
This is the first time nurses across all four nations in the UK have voted for strike action and comes as health care unions Unite, Unison and GMB are also balloting members.
RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: “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.
“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. Across the country, politicians have the power to stop this now and at any point.
“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.”
The initial action is expected to be taken before the end of the year the RCN said, and it has until May 2023 to complete them.
The ballot was launched on 6 October after the government offered nurses a below-inflation pay award. The RCN is calling for a pay rise that is at least 5 per cent above inflation which currently sits at 12 per cent.
Responding to the results, health secretary Steve Barclay tweeted: “It is disappointing some RCN members voted for industrial action.
“We accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year on top of a 3 per cent rise last year.
“I’m hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff, including nurses.
“That’s why supporting the NHS and social care workforce to care for patients is one of my priorities, and we have already recruited 30,000 of the 50,000 more nurses we promised by 2024.
“But union demands for a 17.6 per cent pay settlement are around three times what millions of people outside the public sector will typically receive and simply aren’t reasonable or affordable. Labour have also refused to back this.
“Regrettably, this action will mean some patients will have their treatment delayed.
“My priority is to keep patients safe during any strikes, minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”
When strikes take place NHS trusts are likely to cancel planned surgeries but will maintain emergency care. NHS chiefs have said they are planning for “bank holiday”-style staffing levels.
NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said: “Years of suppressed pay alongside 47,000 vacancies across England and rising demand for healthcare have led to many feeling demoralised and that they are at the end of the road.
“The entire NHS is being hit hard by rising inflation and the cost of living crisis and with other trade unions also considering industrial action for their members, this feeling of despair is felt from other health professions and the wider public sector too.
“We hope that the negotiating parties can reach a compromise that will both minimise disruption to patient care and benefit frontline staff. The last thing anyone wants is a ‘war of attrition’ playing out over many months.”
