NHS nurse “left with no choice” as strike begins
(Picture: PA Wire)The first nurses strike of 2023 got underway on Wednesday as Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members walked out of 55 hospital trusts across England, including London.
NHS staff are striking for 48 hours in the RCN’s ongoing dispute with the government about pay.
The union has announced two more strikes on February 6 & 7 if there is no breakthrough in talks with the government.
The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5 per cent above inflation, which was at 7.5 per cent when it submitted the figure to the independent pay review body in March.
During the strikes the health service is likely to run a bank holiday-style service in many areas.
Downing Street has condemned the “significant disruption” the widespread strikes will cause, and has held firm on issuing a pay rise for nurses.
Nurse Natalie Brooks tells The Leader podcast why she’s taking part in the strike action this month, and describes how her colleagues in the NHS are struggling.
The Evening Standard’s Health Reporter Daniel Keane discusses the politics around the industrial action, and explains how the government is dealing with the dispute.
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