NHS nurses have rejected the Government's pay offer, and union the Royal College of Nursing has announced new strike action to take place from April 30
The action is slated to affect the same North East hospitals which have previously been hit, but will see staff in A&E departments and cancer units strike for the first time. This comes as 54% of voters in the RCN's ballot voted to reject the Governent's wage deal - which would have seen a 5% pay rise this year and a cash payment for last year.
Following the strike in a fortnight, the RCN will then hold a new vote, asking members if they wish to potentially take industrial action for a further six months, MirrorOnline reports. As the Government's pay dispute with junior doctors continues, this raises the possibility that strike action between doctors and nurses could be co-ordinated.
The RCN balloted its members on the current offer three weeks ago, and announced its members had rejected the proposed pay deal, with 54% opposed and 46% in support. The turnout was 61%.
Rishi Sunak, who had boasted that he was bringing an end to this winter’s wave of industrial action, now faces a summer of discontent.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, who had recommended the deal to members, tonight wrote to Health Secretary Steve Barclay to seek an urgent re-opening of talks. The RCN is the country's largest nursing union.
It said the next strike action will begin at 8pm on April 30, and last until 8pm on May 2. It will be the most intense action to date as it will involve nursing staff working in emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt.
Nurses at four of the North East's five hospital trusts will strike - Northumbria Healthcare, Gateshead Health, County Durham and Darlington and Newcastle Hospitals. Nurses at the North East Ambulance Service and the North East NHS Commissioning Support Unit are also included.
In her letter to Mr Barclay, Ms Cullen wrote: "What has been offered to date is simply not enough. The government needs to increase what has already been offered and we will be highly critical of any move to reduce it.
"Since our talks in February, we have seen the pressures on the NHS continue to increase. The crisis in our health and care services cannot be addressed without significant action that addresses urgent recruitment and retention issues and nursing pay to bring this dispute to a close urgently."
The union leader added: "Until there is a significantly improved offer, we are forced back to the picket line. Meetings alone are not sufficient to prevent strike action and I will require an improved offer as soon as possible. In February, you opened negotiations directly with me and I urge you to do the same now.
"After a historic vote to strike, our members expect a historic pay award."
The Government said the result was "hugely disappointing". A spokesman said: "The fact that the Royal College of Nursing has announced an escalation in strike action with no derogations, based on a vote from the minority of the nursing workforce, will be hugely concerning for patients.
"Hundreds of thousands of Agenda for Change staff continue to vote in ballots for other unions over the next two weeks and we hope this generous offer secures their support."
Members of Unison, which represents health workers including ambulance staff, voted overwhelmingly to accept the pay offer. The union announced that 74% of those who voted backed the deal. The turnout was 52% among Unison's 288,000 members in England.
That union's head of health Sara Gorton said: "Clearly health workers would have wanted more, but this was the best that could be achieved through negotiation. Over the past few weeks, health workers have weighed up what's on offer. They've opted for the certainty of getting the extra cash in their pockets soon.
"It's a pity it took several months of strike action before the Government would commit to talks. Unions told ministers last summer the £1,400 pay rise wasn't enough to stop staff leaving the NHS, nor to prevent strikes, but they didn't want to listen.
"Instead, health workers were forced to strike, losing money they could ill afford. The NHS and its patients suffered months of unnecessary disruption."
Hospital trusts tonight urged ministers to avert the fresh strikes by nurses. Adam Brimelow of NHS Providers said: "It’s really important that the unions and government find a way through this to prevent more strikes and let the NHS focus on its big challenges including cutting waiting lists and transforming services, instead of having to resort to ‘all hands on deck’ just to get through the day."
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