The Royal College of Nursing has announced a new set of strikes in January unless pay negotiations are opened - but only in England. The strikes follow two days of industrial action in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and December 20.
Nurses on the picket lines in December told us about the understaffing, low pay and appalling conditions they face at work. You can read their stories here.
Now, RCN members in England will go on strike on January 18 and 19. The RCN has also warned that further strike dates will be confirmed in the new year.
READ MORE: Welsh Ambulance Service staff vote to strike again
No new strike dates have been announced for Wales, but the situation isn't much better than in England. Mark Drakeford has said the Welsh Government couldn't afford to pay nurses the increase of 19% that they're asking for (which is around 8% higher than inflation), with the Welsh Government offering an increase between 4% and 5.5%.
RCN general secretary and chief executive 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."
The RCN claims salaries for experienced nurses is 20% lower in real terms than in 2010, due to "successive below-inflation pay awards". RCN members in Scotland have rejected the Scottish Government's latest pay offer and will join the picket "should strike action be escalated".
Ambulance workers in the GMB union who were set to go on strike have suspended the planned action in England and Wales on December 28. GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: "We are overwhelmed by Wednesday’s amazing public support for our paramedics and ambulance staff. People across the country have been wonderful in backing us and we care so much about them too.
"We know the public will appreciate being able to enjoy Christmas without any additional anxiety. They support us and we support them.
"The workforce crisis in our NHS is so severe and our commitment to getting ambulance staff the proper pay they deserve is stronger than ever, so we are scheduling a further date for action on January 11m 2023.
"The incredible British public are why we are suspending our action over the Christmas period. But, it also means the government can now do what ambulance workers and the public want – get round the table and talk pay now. We are here 24/7. Any time, any place."
But the Unison union has announced a separate strike in England on January 11 and January 23 (and GMB members on January 11). Welsh Ambulance Service workers also voted on Thursday for another strike, which is expected to take place in the new year.
In short, this is the situation:
- Nurses in England will go on strike on January 18 and 19, with further dates to be confirmed
- Nurses in Wales haven't announced a strike, but also haven't reached an agreement with the Welsh Government
- There won't be an ambulance strike on December 28 (workers in England and Wales were originally going on strike on this day)
- There will be ambulance strikes in the new year in England (Unison and GMB on January 11, Unison on January 23) and in Wales (dates yet to be announced).
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