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.

My views on this matter are not drawn from newspapers as I don't watch the news or read papers..
My wife and ex partner have both worked in the NHS so having seen both pension plans I can say that they are very generous in comparison to private pension plans for similar salaried employment.

Add to that sick pay, holiday, maternity pay, first class training, counselling services, career progression, job security, on and on, what more do you want...
Now in our case we decided the NHS wasn't paying enough so she made the jump from a team leader post in the NHS to tripling her take home pay and leaving behind the bureaucracy and inept distribution of the shifts to control her own working pattern which was more in line with her own family and social needs..
Anyway the satirical Facebook page named the anaesthetic registrar is hilarious and certainly highlights some of the problems in a light hearted way that the real professionals have to deal with on a daily basis..

Is this not more to do with NHS management frank? Which frankley I find utterly appalling.

I suspect both your ex and your wife were on final salary pensions whic. Of course don't exist anymore. Not for those of us who still have 40 years of service left in us. And I'm not necessarily arguing that is wrong. Just saying the gold plated pensions of old aren't on the table these days.

Perhaps private sector employees should learn and pay their staff better. And provide pensions and decent benefits. After all they manage it for senior executives.

I support the strike. Especially as MPs are getting a double figure payrise plus they already have expenses as well so their £65k salary may as well be pocket money to them.

Oh yes final salary pensions disappeared ages ago!! The cushy pensions were whittled away by labour at first then the Tories.

Fully support it x.

Shameful that it's necessary.

100%.
I'm proud my fellow nurses will be striking.

I 100% support the strike. Is there anything we can do to help?

I support it too, 19 years I worked in the NHS, I work in the private sector now and get treated with respect rather than as a naughty child to be patronised by managers... I don't mean nursing managers they are hit with the same stick.

I'm generally anti strike AND I'm a Tory voter. But this one yes I support absolutely.

From having my first DC 5 years ago vs DC3 11 weeks ago the change was ridiculous. DD3 ended up in NICU for a week with Group B Strep because the MW wouldn't believe I was in labour (high pain threshold) I had 3 different MWs in the space of an hour and it's wasn't until the Consultant did rounds that they realised they were too late to get ABs in and DD got infected.

I could blame the MWs but the truth was from 1 to 1 care with DD1 we have moved to staff so overworked and tired that I slipped through the cracks. And surely The fact I then took a bed and NICU time for a week for a poorly baby was more expensive than just preventing the mistake in the first place with MW staff??

Anyway rant over yes they should strike but can't see it changing things if I'm honest.

Now in our case we decided the NHS wasn't paying enough so she made the jump from a team leader post in the NHS to tripling her take home pay and leaving behind the bureaucracy and inept distribution of the shifts to control her own working pattern which was more in line with her own family and social needs

So instead of negotiating /striking for the benefit of everyone, you now add to the problem by doing the same job but for an agency which costs the NHS more than employing staff directly. You are part of the problem but still want to tell people that they are wrong for trying to change things for THE BENEFIT OF THE MAJORITY, rather than just looking after themselves, like you do?

I'm just glad you are in a minority and hope you are never in a position where you need solidarity from others and don't get it. We are a civilised society, most people get that.

Yes, I support it. This government has no respect for anyone in the public sector,( Nurses, midwives, teachers police, social workers, fire service, ambulance service.)
The strike by nurses and midwives is justified-the government always tries to rely on the reluctance of NHS workers to inconvenience or harm their patients.
Without the people on the above list( who the government so disdain) we would be in a terrible mess

Complete support from me. I can imagine how hard it would be to make the decision to strike but if you don't take action you'll never be heard.

I support the strike, despite usually disliking strike action.

However I had a c-section booked for the morning of the 13th which has been moved to the end of the week. This will now cost us well over £100 in additional childcare costs, plus making our arrangements really complicated.

I will be striking. That MP's have taken a rise and maintained their pensions whilst hacking away at mine whilst shouting we're all in this together particularly gets my goat.

Nurse here and RCN member.

I support you and urge everone who feels the same to support the National Health Action Party

Yep absolutely have my full support.

full support here too.
I recently had a full on pregnancy and prolonged stay in post natal. I was appalled by what the midwives have to put up with and full of respect for how they cope.
its disgusting that politicians get 11%!

100 percent support this. 1 percent is tiny anyway

I see in the news this morning NHS Chiefs have had billions worth of bonuses.

I agree with Frank.

DH works in the NHS and does not have a final salary pension, but he is exceptionally well-remunerated and his pension is still more generous than any I have ever seen, senior executive or otherwise, in the private sector. (Been a lawyer for 15 years so I have seen a few!)

It's not a case of what the staff "deserve" - it's what we can afford.

It's not a case of what the staff "deserve" - it's what we can afford

But MPs get a 11% payrise? That's affordable.

A bombing campaign on ISIS. That's affordable.

It is ideological.

these are incredibly stressful, high-pressure jobs that are of enormous importance to society. arguably it's a vocation and people don't do it for the money, but there comes a point where the goodwill is exhausted and staff need to be able to afford to live and know that their work is valued. because that is the real problem - devaluing the work of highly skilled professionals