Thousands of nurses in England will go on strike once more subsequent month in a dispute over pay.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) introduced that nurses would strike on 18 and 19 January and mentioned additional dates could be confirmed within the new yr.
Pat Cullen, head of the union, mentioned: “The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.”
Drivers suggested when to journey – strikes newest
She added: “I do not wish to prolong this dispute, but the prime minister has left us with no choice.”
A separate strike affecting the NHS this month has been referred to as off.
The deliberate walkout by ambulance staff on 28 December has been suspended, the GMB union introduced.
Shortly earlier than the RCN announcement, Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, mentioned he was “sad and disappointed” that strikes are threatening to disrupt Christmas getaways.
Hundreds of 1000’s of staff throughout many sectors of the economic system have gone on strike or are planning to this winter as unions search pay rises for his or her members throughout the price of residing disaster and hovering inflation.
The RCN mentioned the walkouts subsequent month would happen in England solely in case the strike motion must be extended.
Members of the RCN in England, Wales and Northern Ireland staged their biggest-ever walkouts on 15 and 20 December.
Nurses and different nursing employees walked out at half of the places in England the place the authorized mandate for strikes was secured in November.
There have been additionally strikes at each NHS employer in Wales besides one and all through Northern Ireland.
Strike motion is ‘proper factor to do for sufferers and NHS’
Ms Cullen mentioned the general public help has been “heart-warming”, including she is “more convinced than ever” that additional strike motion is the “right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS”.
“The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don’t dig in,” she mentioned.
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Read extra:
Strikes each day earlier than Christmas – which sectors are affected and why
How A&E and different NHS providers shall be impacted
The RCN beforehand mentioned the variety of NHS employers affected would enhance subsequent month except negotiations have been held.
Nurses in Scotland introduced they might go on strike early in 2023 after members of the RCN “overwhelmingly” rejected the most recent pay provide from the Scottish authorities.
Nurses 20% worse off in actual phrases
The RCN mentioned regardless of this yr’s pay award of £1,400, skilled nurses have been 20% worse off in actual phrases on account of successive below-inflation awards since 2010.
It has referred to as for a pay rise of 5% above RPI inflation, saying the financial argument for paying nursing employees pretty is obvious when billions of kilos is being spent on company employees to plug workforce gaps.
The RCN mentioned within the final yr 25,000 nursing employees across the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register, with 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in England’s NHS alone.
The commerce union mentioned that industrial motion is a final resort, including it’s dedicated to negotiating improved pay offers with governments earlier than taking strike motion when the dispute can’t be resolved.
Source: information.sky.com”