The union is also encouraging the public to sign a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truds urging the government to “see sense” and “defend nursing.”
In the first-ever UK-wide poll by the industry’s main union, registered nurses will soon begin voting on whether to strike over pay.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will ask 300,000 of its members for the first time in its 106-year history if they wish to engage in strike action.
It follows warnings that a record number of nurses are abandoning their careers.
The RCN stated that a recent study by London Economics indicated that nurses’ real earnings have decreased by 6% over the past decade, which is twice the rate of the private sector.
The union desires that nurses receive a pay increase equal to the current inflation rate of 10.1%.
In July, the government increased the salaries of the majority of NHS employees by at least 4.5 percent, giving many employees a raise of £1,400.
The RCN has been lobbying its members to vote in favour of industrial action, with the general secretary of the union stating that it is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to boost compensation and battle staff shortages.
“Governments have disregarded the NHS and the value of nursing on several occasions. In a message to members, RCN Chief Executive Pat Cullen stated, “We can alter this if we all say ‘enough is enough.'”
“Record numbers of smokers believe they have no choice but to quit, and patients pay a steep price. We’re also doing this for them.
“It’s evident we require immediate change. Nursing is the best profession on earth. Vote for its preservation.”
Public asked to sign letter to Prime Minister
The public is also encouraged to support the union’s requests by co-signing a letter to Prime Minister Liz Trudeau.
The letter requests that the government “use common sense” and “defend nursing in order to safeguard the public.”
Two-thirds of the public, according to a YouGov poll, support nurses going on strike, while three-quarters of respondents believe there are not enough nurses to deliver safe NHS care.
The vote comes after months of industrial action by train workers, postal workers, and waste management personnel, among others.
