Nurses’ union head calls for double-digit pay rise in England ahead of strike ballot

Pat Cullen says she underestimated nurses’ determination to win a better pay deal for themselves. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/Zuma/Shutterstock

The head of the Royal College of Nursing union has called for a double-digit pay rise for nurses in England, raising the stakes in the long-running dispute with the government.

Pat Cullen, the general secretary of the RCN, had previously told members to accept the government’s offer of 5% in March but it was rejected in a vote by 54% to 46%.