The Royal College of Nursing’s frustration with the government’s refusal to negotiate is growing.
Emergency departments, intensive care units, and cancer wards may soon be required to participate in a strike.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) may take three-day and nighttime action as its dispute with the government escalates.
The union informed NHS leaders on Friday that it is preparing to end a process. In which it agreed to approximately 5,000 local exemptions from hospital strike action.
This would allow nurses in these three departments to participate, although the union’s legal obligation not to endanger life would limit their involvement in the most urgent clinical situations.
“NHS leaders fear this escalation and must exert pressure on the government to stop it,” said an RCN source.
“They anticipated an escalation but were unprepared for the elimination of the committees and derogation process that too many had manipulated at the local level and used to exert pressure on the nurses to end the strike.”
A&E, intensive care, and oncology nurses may strike shortly
England’s next nurses’ strike may be announced within days and take place many weeks later.
Last week, nurses in England went on strike for two days. But a planned strike in Wales was called off after the Welsh government increased its pay offer.
In England, the government of Rishi Sunak has indicated that it will not negotiate salaries for the current fiscal year.
Ministers have stated that they will consider next year’s pay, much to the annoyance of union leaders who argue that their members require a pay increase now to keep up with the soaring cost of living.
Rail workers, ambulance workers, attorneys, and waste collectors are among those who have walked off the job in the past year due to their wages not keeping pace with rising costs.
