To ask if you support the proposed strike by Nursing and Midwifery staff?

[SeattleGraceMercyDeath]

For the first time in I think 32 years nursing staff have voted to go on strike and midwives, having never voted to strike in their history will be joining them in a four hour walkout from 7am on 13th October.

The NHS pay review recommended a 1% pay rise across the board, yet government decided they could ignore this and only award the rise to those at the top of their band and would take it away again next year. Despite awarding themselves an 11% pay rise after proclaiming they couldn't possibly ignore their review bodies recommendation.

Essential services will still be covered, eg Delivery suite, ITU etc.

Do you support the staff? If you are a frontline healthcare worker will you be striking? I'm not due to work that day but I will be at the picket line showing my support.

I support the strike, I'm an nhs worker and I see how stretched the nursing staff are, as every one.

However I am just a cleaner, if we are short then the bare basics get done to ensure the hospital is generally clean, but not to my bosses high standard.

Nursing, midwife and ambulance staff don't have that option.

You can't do the bare basics when human lives are on the line.

Those who don't agree with the strikes. I would love it if you did a weeks work on a busy nhs ward. 30 patients between 2 qualified and 3 HCA is not enough.

I'm a MH nurse, totally support strike action. Services are being cut & we are expected to step up & carry on. MH beds are being shut ( as an OP mentioned up thread ) & patients are admitted to sofas in ward lounges - this is not quality care! We are expected to keep our mouths shut & be grateful we have jobs. Our mileage has recently been reduced by about 10p a mile, so to be told we can't have a miserable 1% payrise is another kick in the face. Oh did I mention that the NMC , whom we all pay £100 a year to, just so we can work , is considering raising it's fees to £120 a year. Despite all this, I love nursing & wouldn't do anything else. It is time for nurses to stand up & say enough is enough, we deserve better jumps off soap box

PetulaGordino

For a start they should be taking a long hard look at the people working for their trade union, the RCN appear to be somewhat lacking doing a shit job

What will be gained from a four hour strike? Nurses and midwives will stand on a picket line and lots of passerbys will say they support them and some won't. Will it get them 1% for everyone, 2%, 5%? No. They'll just lose a half days pay.

If the pay is not enough as suggested on the thread, not even these increments would change that, the issue runs much deeper than this year's pay offer.

If this is the best that the union negotiated then people there should be getting fired, not making thousands of members lose half a days pay for their shoddy performance.

Frank what is your view on what Francis said about staff with compassion fatigue? Ya know the stuff about poor systems/management/shite working conditions?

And while you are doing your research maybe you could look at what would happen if the private sector paid in for 49 years? Like many of my colleagues I have paid in since I was 18 and am likely to retire at 67. So I case you haven't got it yet. That is 49 years of contributions to receive half my salary on retirement. Not as gold plated as the daily mail would have you believe is it?

You have 100% support and solidarity from the priest household.

Fully support the strike.

It's awful that you have to, but what else is left?

I support any public sector profession going on strike. The current government doesn't value public services, its ideology being that everyone looks after themselves. Thus those providing a public service feel undervalued and shat on.

What I'd like to see is all these services joined together in their strike action and present a united front. Probably hard to coordinate in reality though.

I fully support this and all the planned strikes. It is time that workers voices were heard. We have to show solidarity and stand up for our service users, ourselves and our co-workers.

I absolutely support the strike. You have to make yourself heard.

I find it hard to see what a 4 hour strike will achieve.

And necessary services will continue uninterrupted.

It'll be like the GP strike a few years back that (IMO) changed nothing; such limited strike action has such a limited impact.

The Government and the PM are living in cloud cuckoo land. And the proposal to make GP services available 12 hours a day 7 days a week is just laughable.

The NHS is being destroyed and a 4 hour strike isn't going to change a thing.

To those people saying a 4 hour strike won't matter, of course it does. It raises awareness of the situation if nothing else. Will hopefully lead to more people not putting up with the same too!

Absolutely 100% support the strike and any further action that follows. I don't work for the nhs but I plan to go to the picket line to show my support.

100% support from me.

I'm a nurse with RCN membership. I'm so disappointed by the RCN that I plan to stop my membership. I support the strike

I am tempted to drive miles out of my way to find a picket line, just to give them a fanfare of supportive beeps.

The community midwives in my area have had a horrible time since at least the time I was pregnant with DS, about 5 years ago. Understaffing, pressure from management, overwork.....my neighbour is a midwife and I've seen her in tears from stress and exhaustion. I've also seen her with a dressing on her wrist where she sprained it saving a baby's life- shoulder dystocia in a home birth- for which she got no praise whatsoever, and no time off to even have her wrist looked at.

For the rest of the week following the strike period we will also be carrying out 'action short of a strike' so breaks will be taken and no unpaid overtime will be done.

That's so fucking sad. Being able to take breaks and have paid overtime should be something workers should be able to take for granted

I support any strike action where professionals who have a calling for that work are taking action.
I don't need to understand what it is about because I know they would not strike unless it was avoidable.
It is such a shame that essential workers are not treated with the respect they deserve.
Stupid question but will there be picket lines outside anti natal and out patient hospitals or only the main ones?
I too would like to join in support.

I don't understand why - rather than punish the public and the vulnerable public at that - there isn't more drumming up support of the public to question the pay rise of the government compared to that of the NHs staff - I bet you could cause a social media storm about it with the right marketing - and about the waste - the voices of millions of voters adding to the nurses and mw call than the negative impact of a baby dying during birth due to the strike - and while the impact of choices made by the government and managers of the NHs are to blame it isn't what will come to mind if it happens during a strike.

Radiographer here supporting as well.

tiredemma - I too am an RCN member (not through choice, my employer insists on RCN membership ) and think they're useless.

I don't think a 4 hour strike will raise awareness significantly, and given that it's from 0700-1100 I think it will have minimal impact.

To be really effective it would need to be a 24 hour strike but that just wouldn't happen.

I support strike action but am just disheartened at the limited proposal. And I don't think the Government will pay any attention.

I hope all those who miss appointments and are going to write to their MP.

The public start complaining and the MP could lose votes, then that's how hopefully the government will listen.

I dont usually support strikes but I completely support nurses and midwives striking, they do an amazing job and deserve to be paid a fair amount.

Personally I can't see the NHS being around in a few years not in its current form anyway in mental health at least many extremely good nurses that are just qualifying are finding it very hard to get jobs because there are so many ward /community closure s this is not because there is no longer a need for mental health staff just because trusts are freezing posts etc this has been happening for at least ten years so whilst I do not think Tories are doing a good job they are finishing what the labour party started .

I think I wouldn't agree with it, if it weren't for the MP's awarding themselves 11%

Everyone's pay is paltry at the moment, (in the real world, not the City, obviously) so I would say that the 1%/increments for the band is alright.

But for MP's to bump themselves up SO much, then refuse the nurses and midwives? Honestly, I can't believe it. So for that reason, I support it.

Although I support a strike in principle, I can't be seen to be striking or to be supporting strike action because I'm working very hard towards getting a particular job and the managers are watching my performance to see if I deserve that job (in nursing).

I haven't actually heard anyone discussing a strike at the hospital where I work though; not sure if it will happen here even though we are a big foundation trust hospital.

To me the worst thing is that my ward is said to be 'overstaffed' yet we really aren't in all our opinions and we often have to put out for bank or agency staff.

I would welcome better staffed wards as well as that pay rise.