To think that nurses who choose to strike over pensions will not get any sympathy from the general public??

[McQueasy]

Unison have voted to strike on the 30th, this means that nurses within that union have the choice to participate. As a result of this the NHS may have to operate as an 'emergency only' service for the day. Cancelling routine work, clinics, operations etc.

The governments pension proposals are ridiculous, in essence the average worker will pay between £50-£200 a month more towards their pension in what is realistically a levy. They will not see a penny of that when they retire (if they ever are allowed to retire as the age or retirement gets pushed back and back)

However, as operations, clinics and routine work is cancelled in an already stretched system, I cant help but think that public sympathy for this strike will be minimal.

I am a member of the public

I support them 100%

I will also be striking

I work bloody hard- deal with most horrendous, challenging issues on a day to day basis.
I help someone who has self harmed, clean their blood- hold their hand.
I remove ligatures, I comfort the woman who has had her children removed from her and adopted out because she is mentally ill.
I get hit, spat at, puched, kicked, shit thrown at me, piss flung at me. All this and much much more.

I bloody LOVE my job. I am priveliged to have a job that pushes me and challenges me, stimulates me and interests me.

I think I deserve a half decent pension at retirement age. I think its the very least that I deserve.

They'll all have my support!

no sympathy from people who have never done an important, knackering job for an insultingly small wage.
the NHS may be stretched, the pension scheme may be inane but you can't actually blame that on the nurses.
YABABU

I have to be honest, I am pleasantly surprised at the level of support on this thread however there is still an underlying feeling of 'if this affects the health of me or a member of my family on that day you have been selfish to think of yourself first'

Selfish is certainly a word thats been used by a few posters.

Are nurses being selfish? Surely it is the government backing them into a corner who are the real cause of ANY detrimental affects that this may have on peoples health or treatment on that given day. If the government wanted to fund a fully functioning service through use of army nurses bank and agency it could. It is a national contingency plan that defaults to an emergency only service.

This could be compared to the paramedic that did not answer a 999 call as they were on a meal break. Soo many NHS employees will forgo their own basic needs on a daily basis to help others. This almost seems to be an expectation. Needing the toilet for hours, missing meal breaks due to workload, working late and unpaid due to unforeseen emergency seems to be part of the job. When they do say 'no' or if they put their own personal needs above that of a patient they are accused of being selfish. Is being altruistic in the job description? Do they receive extra pay for it? - the answer is no, however the one thing they did have was a bloody good pension. Even that is now being threatened.

Nurses professional code of conduct states that they must be an advocate for patients at all times. Who is the advocate for the nurses?
Are they being selfish just for saying no for one day?
Can any other profession not in health care honestly say that they would be happy to work in a profession where your own personal needs are essentially put second to the needs of the clients.

Additionally, it is worth knowing that the other big nurses union the RCN are not striking on that day. It is a shame there will be a divide in the profession.

I work for the NHS and won't be striking even though I'm in a participating union. We are planning to cover the roles of my colleagues who will be striking in order to ensure as much runs to normal as possible. I voted against strike action and am standing by that. I don't begrudge my colleagues who will be on the picket line.

If you're attending hospital that day, please be patient with those of us working as we might be doing unfamiliar (non-clinical) tasks! I'm likely to be sat running a busy clinic which I've never done before :)

I think the strike will have little impact on nursing care. The majority of Registered Nurses are in the RCN and won't strike.
Out of the 33 Nurses and HCAs on my ward, none will be striking.

I know quite a few nurses and none are Unison.

Are the majority of nurses in the RCN, I didnt know that? Im a RMN and in Unison as are most of the Psychiatric Nurses I know.

I've not been able to read the whole of the thread I'm afraid so sorry if I'm repeating anything.

I'm a nurse, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with striking and have not made a decision either way yet.

Anyway I just wanted to point out that nurse's do understand that it is a difficult financial climate. I feel very upset about the proposed pensions changes mainly as I feel it is a step too far. I understand that a lot of people in both public and private sectors have had pay freezes. However what I think people don't realise is that years ago we agreed to no pay rises and took a cost of living increase way below inflation and what other professions got. On top of that the majority of us have had increments frozen. Increments are not what some people recognise as pay rises. They are linked to progression at work. So for example you need to be achieving certain goals to get them. For example I have had to take more responsibility at my work to pass through a gateway. Normally at this point I would get an increment. I didn't get this but I'm still expected to carryout extra duties. Now I wasn't pleased about this but understood it might be necessary due to difficult times. Now on top of this we have to take a hit on our pensions!

I feel that only certain groups of people are having to sacrifice a lot which is unfair. If all professionals I worked with were being treated like this I'm sure I would be able to accept it but they are not

Cupcakesandcocktails are the eKSF gateways being enforced in England? In scotland this is not happening as it means a change in your contract. (This hasn't been negotiated with the healthboards or unions there is just an assumption it will take place)
The could have saved the pensions by not spending money on eKSF for a start!!!!

I believe that to be correct duck though that's probably registered nurses overall. The percentages are likely to be different between Genral Nurses and Mental Health.
You lot are a quite different breed to us!

To those of you in the RCN they will vote on striking, but it will take place at a later date depending on the reaction UNISON get. Totally lazy union, they are worse than useless

I think you'll find in my post I said I was being selfish as I don't want my baby to die, I didn't say the nurses were being selfish.

I also said that I couldn't bring myself to strike. I do work for the NHS, I don't relish the prospect of working until I drop but I don't really see any other way. What I do know is I would feel incredibly guilty if I went on strike at any time ans therefore couldn't do it.

sauvignonblanche some say we are not real Nurses at all

Oh dear McQuesy this is where I out myself as someone who doesn't know what they are talking about

I don't know basically, I find afc & ksf very confusing. All I do know is I had to go through my foundation gateway recently. My manager said I needed to do x, y and z to do so. As part of that I've now been forced to take on a link role that I have no interest in and spend my days off sorting as there is no time at work to do it.

How dare they? I'd be far to scared to do that!

Minus 273
I please do not worry, you will not be put in a situation where you or your childs life will be put in danger because of this strike. There will be the same level of cover as you would get on Christmas day or weekend.

IME it is nuts that you would think you are being selfish for worrying that your childs life would be in danger.

Here in lies the argument. Consider you are on the waiting list for an elective op that will significantly improve the quality of your life. Due to the strike this op is cancelled and you are put to the bottom of the waiting list. How sympathetic would you be?
These are the stories the media will go CRAZY for

CupcakesAndCocktails some managers in the NHS make me so
The eKSF gateways can not and will not stop you progressing through your increments. The whole system is likely to be scrapped. The evidence supporting the levels can be quite subjective and (I assume you are a band 5?) you do not need to take on the responsibility of being a link nurse to achieve your full outline.

e-KSf has been scraped in our trust because it cost too much money.
We are now back to paper appraisal forms.
I sweated blood doing e-ksf stuff for years. (Worst non user friendly system ever)

We don't get increments if we don't have our eKSF signed off. However our line manager always finds a way to sign it off IYSWIM.

PurpleCrazyHorse have you resigned fro the union then? If not, you should follow the will of the majority: that'a what unions do. If you disagree, then find a union which agrees with you and join that, or arrange to get the benefits of a union (legal support, insurance etc) for yourself and don't be in one. It is wrong to stay in the union and not support the action.
Will you take the benefits if the strike works?

Cardibach what nonsense! Belonging to a union does not mean you abdicate personal responsibilty or conscience.

I am band 5 McQuesy and sorry I made a mistake in my previous post. It was my second gateway not the foundation. Don't get me started on the foundation one! I passed through and got my increment but had to fight for the one after my first 6 months. My manager and HR kept saying there was no such thing despite all my colleagues getting it. Luckily the RCN sorted it for me. However I was made to feel very greedy by my work for expecting the correct pay!

Sorry for going off on a tangent but I feel better for it btw when I got all the money they had neglected to pay me it came to over £2000! No mere pennies like my managers made out I was spitting my dummy out over

I dont work in the public sector but support them 110%

To sign up for a pension deal and then be told further down the line the deal is being changed is fundamentally wrong.

It's like getting to the end of your 25 year mortgage and being told "Nah sorry you have gotta pay an extra 250 pounds a month for another 10 years"