The new Health Secretary has been warned by nurses that they need an immediate salary raise or they’ll go on strike.
In order to provide its members a double-digit wage contract, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is pleading with Steve Barclay to halt a three-month wait.
According to the union, a study of over 1,500 people in England revealed a dramatic increase in popular support for nurses engaging in strike action.
In May, 42% of respondents said they were “extremely” or “very” likely to support nurses; today, that number is 49%.
The RCN requested a pay increase of 5% over the current rate of RPI inflation, which is over 11%, in its testimony to the Pay Review Body.
Ministers, meanwhile, have advocated for an award of 2% to 3%.
Patient care is at danger due to a staffing shortage, according to RCN general secretary Pat Cullen.
The strain on nurses is constant, and now that inflation is on the rise, staff members are having a hard time making ends meet and turning to food pantries.
“They are quitting the profession in droves; the extreme financial hardship they are experiencing is the breaking point.”
“Nursing cannot afford to wait any longer after a decade of pay reductions by the government.”
Nursing is a highly trained profession that has to be acknowledged as such. Fair compensation must be the first step towards investing in the field.
No nurse ever wants to engage in industrial action, but for our members, nothing is off the table.
nursing staff could believe they have no other option except to safeguard patient safety.
‘The Government’s leadership vacuum is no justification for further delay in putting NHS pay right,’ said Sara Gorton, head of health at the Union Unison.
The government is already many months behind schedule.
“Soaring costs are having a severe impact on personnel, and the incoming Secretary of State should put supporting them first on her priority list, not second.”
Pay is essential for ensuring that the NHS is adequately staffed and capable of giving patients the service they require.
Making an appropriate wage award will demonstrate to the public that politicians are committed to safeguarding the health system and the millions of people who depend on it.
It is past time for the government to make the PRB reports public so that nurses, healthcare assistants, porters, paramedics, cleaners, and all other essential NHS personnel can know whether or not they will receive the inflation-busting pay raise they are due.
A government spokesman stated that the recommendations are being “considered.”