The leader of the RCN stated that pay is “essential” to the ongoing strikes and that action will continue if ministers do not bargain on salary.
According to union leader Pat Cullen, nurses would continue to strike in January if the government does not negotiate with them on pay.
Ms. Cullen, of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), stated that it was “completely false” that remuneration was a “minor factor” in the issue, in response to “demeaning” remarks made by health minister Maria Caulfield.
She told The Take with Sophy Ridge, “Nurses are on the verge of starvation; they can’t pay their expenses, and some of them can’t even afford to get to work. And yet, you have a minister sitting here claiming that it’s not about pay, but about everything else. That is completely false.”
Ms. Caulfield, who is also a nurse, told Sophy Ridge that while money is “clearly a worry,” it was only a “small” cause for the strike, which she claimed was mostly about working conditions.
Ms. Cullen, however, stated that while working conditions must be addressed, the NHS has 50,000 nursing vacancies, and “compensation is essential if we wish to retain the nurses we have and recruit more.
On Thursday, nurses will go on strike for the first time in a century to demand salary raises above the rate of inflation, after discussions to avoid the action broke down on Monday.
The health secretary, Steve Barclay, refuses to talk with unions on pay since the government has accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s (PRB) suggestion to provide below-inflation pay increases of approximately 4%.
Moments before Ms. Cullen appeared live, the GMB union – which represents tens of thousands of health workers who are also scheduled to strike – announced it was withdrawing from the procedure the government uses to determine NHS pay.
“Trust eroded by pay review procedure”
The NHS Pay Review Committee is a public advisory body that considers government and union input before proposing a pay rise.
The government asserts that it is “autonomous,” but the GMB denies this and has suspended its involvement unless “significant reforms are implemented.”
Therefore, the union, which represents hundreds of NHS ambulance personnel, paramedics, nurses, and cleaners, will refuse to offer evidence to the board during salary discussions next year.
“The Pay Review Bodies’ credibility is under greater strain than ever before in their 50-year history. “Our members want to participate in a meaningful process, but confidence has been eroded,” the union stated.
The union said that the PRB is not independent because ministers and government:
• Establish the annual mandates of the Review Bodies, including the financial constraints within which they are expected to operate
• Appoint members of the Pay Review Body, a process in which unions have no influence.
• Provide a secretariat for the PRB
Because of the PRB recommendations, nurses with the RCN have been awarded a wage boost of at least £1,400.
However, the union argues that this is insufficient to make up for a decade of real-term pay losses, and they demand a wage increase of 19.2% or 5% above RPI inflation.
This number has been deemed “unaffordable” by the government, and Ms. Cullen refused to disclose what offer the RCN would take if ministers were willing to compromise.
She told Sophy Ridge, “I will not negotiate on the airwaves, and I do not believe any minister should require our profession to do so.”
While nurses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will go on strike tomorrow, the RCN has suspended industrial action in Scotland to evaluate a new pay offer of 7.5% after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon agreed to negotiate.
Ms. Cullen predicted more strikes in January if the government maintains its refusal to negotiate salary.
“Frankly, the ball is in their court; there will be a second strike day on December 20.”
“Without talks and negotiations on behalf of my constituents, I am afraid to state that this is a strong probability. We will begin to consider when these dates will occur. I fear they will persist till January.”
On the eve of the strike, Mr. Barclay reiterated that boosting the nurses’ pay offer would necessitate a reduction in funding for frontline services.
He said, “Our nurses are tremendously committed to their work, and it is disappointing that certain union members are proceeding with a strike.”
“Patient safety is my top priority; I’ve been working across government and with medics outside the public sector to guarantee safe staffing levels; nonetheless, I remain worried about the risk that strikes represent to patients.
“However, the NHS is operational, and patients should continue to seek urgent medical care – and attend appointments unless the NHS has contacted them.”
PM criticizes union leaders
In numerous sectors, tens of thousands of workers, including nurses, are expected to go on strike this winter.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned that new anti-strike legislation is being drafted “with haste.”
In an interview with the magazine The Spectator, he accused union officials of acting “irrationally.”
He stated, “If union leaders do not act reasonably, which is not the case at the moment, then I am prepared to impose strict new strike legislation that will minimize the disturbance to regular people and protect lives. This is what we are working on – quickly.”
Mr. Sunak did not elaborate on the nature of the rules he will introduce, which might prohibit emergency personnel from striking.
He stated, though, that he is “not afraid to be harsh” to accomplish “what I believe is right for the country.”
