UNITED KINGDOM: This month, nurses in England will initiate fresh strikes in light of the RCN people’s disregarding the recent pay offers by ministers. On Friday, vote results would be announced by the Royal College of Nursing following a long period of discussion in which a lot of people opposed the suggestions to adhere to the proposed deal by the government by the leaders of the union.
According to union sources, contingency plans for a no-vote have been established because that would imply the NHS in England going through another series of demonstrations and strikes that would commence within weeks and continue for a long time. According to the RCN, “Voting is still open and we have no result. Every member is asked to vote by 9 am Friday and an announcement of the final result will take place during the day.”
On Friday, the results of the vote on the pay offer would also be announced by the union, despite its inability to decide to return to strike after the health conference next week in Bournemouth. Following months of strikes and weeks of negotiations, the union started its consultation last month after the bosses and the health secretary, Steve Barclay, reached an agreement on an offer.
“This offer will give nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, and other non-medical staff a fair pay rise while protecting our commitment to halve inflation,” Barclay said, adding, “We have engaged in constructive and meaningful discussions with unions and NHS employers, and I look forward to continuing our work together to make the NHS a better place to work.”
Patients might be forced to deal with simultaneous strikes by junior doctors and nurses as a result, which would result in more postponed procedures and missed appointments.
Additionally, it would be a major setback for the administration, which thought that a settlement with the nurses would open the way for a string of settlements and put an end to the wave of industrial action that swept the country this past winter.
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