Nurses are set to go on strike again in the New Year as their pay dispute with the Government continues.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said that unless negotiations are opened, its members will walk out on January 18 and 19. The action will take place at more NHS employers in England than happened this month - increasing from 44 to 55 trusts, said the RCN.
The RCN, which held two days of strike action at sites across the country, including the North East, on December 15 and 20, said it has repeatedly invited ministers to hold talks on NHS pay. RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, said: "The Government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.
"I do not wish to prolong this dispute but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice. The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.
"The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe - the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don't dig in."
RCN members will not be striking in Wales and Northern Ireland again in January. Its commitment to members is that everyone employed where strike action has been mandated will have the opportunity to strike if the dispute continues.
In Scotland, RCN members this week overwhelmingly voted to reject a revised NHS pay offer from the Scottish government. Strike action had been paused pending the ballot's outcome, but the RCN Scotland now will announce dates for strike action early in the New Year.
The nurses' January strike dates in England were announced amid widespread industrial action in other sectors across the country. Military personnel were checking passports at airports as around 1,000 Border Force staff at places including Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester walked out on Friday. The NHS has also been dealing with ambulance strikes this week.
Rishi Sunak has said he is "sad" and "disappointed" about widespread strike action but insisted refusing to negotiate on public sector pay is the "right thing" in the long term. The Prime Minister defended the Government on Friday as acting "fairly and reasonably" on the "difficult question", but insisted he cannot budge or risk stoking inflation.
His refusals to give increased pay offers mean there is little chance of industrial disputes ending. Mr Sunak said: "I am really sad and I am disappointed about the disruption that is being caused to so, so many people's lives, particularly at Christmas time."
But speaking to broadcasters during a visit to a homeless shelter in London, he insisted he has "acted fairly and reasonably" in accepting public sector pay recommendations. "I want to make sure we reduce inflation, part of that is being responsible when it comes to setting public sector pay," he added. "In the long term it's the right thing for the whole country that we beat inflation."
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