Nurses taking Strike Action

[shmiz]

AIBU to believe the public will be supportive of Nurses taking Strike Action ?
Nurses are being asked to vote YES to strike action by the biggest nurses union RCN
www.rcn.org.uk/Get-Involved/Campaign-with-us/Fair-Pay-for-Nursing/Latest-updates

We can't hire nurses faster than they are leaving. Because pay and more importantly conditions are so bad they are leaving.Sick of hearing why bankers and those in the corporate world absolutely must be paid huge salaries and bonuses because supply and demand, market forces blah blah. Well we have a supply and demand problem. So suggest a way to fix this.

@Topgub

In my view the limited resources that are available should be used to give care workers on minimum wage a decent increase rather than bumper pay rises for already well-paid nurses.

That would help attract and retain much needed care staff and solve the bed blocking crisis.

the crisis goes from all staff across the health and social care systems. Supply and demand, like previous posters say. The pay rise, to ensure retention, and deliver pay restoration, should be for everyone- care staff, nurses, doctors, allied health professionals across the system.

Well, its quite an assumption as this 35k figure includes nurses on London weighting, which distorts the numbers.

Adds 15% and 20% to basic pay.

The 35k figure itself is completely inaccurate as includes specialist nurse pay.

37k isn't more than the vast majority will ever earn at all, though it probably is a lot more than you'd ever want to pay your imaginary workers.

@FriedDuck

You didn't answer the question again

Yes, care staff need a bumper pay rise.

So let's say we increase carers wages to 13 quid an hour. 3 more than the new mw.

Why would anyone then be a nurse?

This is indeed a growing problem across many sectors, as its going, we will soon all be on the NMW.

Pay differentials across the board are being eroded.

@FriedDuck where did you get 35k? That’s middle of band 6 (in our trust band 6 don’t do nights and weekends so don’t get the incentive anyway). The pay is there for everyone to see if you care to look.

@Putonyourshoes

I didn’t deliberately round down. But now I think about, I think that’s actually fair that I did, considering the £480 a year I pay in parking and £120 in registration fees.

I pay for parking at my public sector job too. Shall I minimise my salary too? DH pays over 3x what you pay for parking, but nobody cries about those in the private sector.

You can make comparisons to private sector jobs all you like. I’m not crying about parking. What I often cry about is not being able to give the care to patients that they deserve because we are so short staffed.
If you genuinely believe, I as an intensive care nurse, often working the job of two people due to the staffing crisis, and working through my breaks and past the end of my shift, am only worth the £16.84 an hour I am being paid, then there is nothing more to argue.

@Putonyourshoes why did you take a degree and go in to a field where you knew there was an absolute salary (unlike in the private sector where wages are somewhat negotiable) if you thought you were worth more than that salary? Did you do it specifically so that you could tell everyone you were worth more, and we'd all clap? I knew the salary when I took my job, it's a fairly responsible job with some autonomy but up until a few years ago when the public sector pay freeze was lifted I was working for a little over minimum wage - I knew that when I took the job but I enjoy my work and get on well with my colleagues, plus the public sector "perks" are worth it.

Most people who are currently nurses entered the profession before austerity. Before a decade of real terms pay cuts.

They may well have thought the salary appropriate in 2007, but it has since been devalued.

My DD went into the NHS because she wants to help people, she knew the pay but what she didn't factor is the shear contempt people have for her... so she is quitting... to help people on the other side of the world.

Tory voters have no right to criticise them or the strike action they may take.

I wanted to be a nurse. I didn’t sign up to year on year real terms pay cuts all the while my workload and stress continues to increase and increase.

Do you not see the problem with what you’re saying? Our pay isn’t negotiable. I can’t decide I’m not happy and go elsewhere, unless I turn to agency. Why should I just put up with worsening working conditions and pay? Why do you think nurses should do that?
The options are quit or strike. I thought most would be pleased we’re wanting to strike instead of quit.

It's not just the money I think that's the least problem. It's the sheer volume of patients nurses have to look after and the work load is intense at times. It's long shifts so people easily get worn down. Other sectors you can move around more easily if you studied accountancy or IT is your background fir example.

I agree.

When I went into the nhs nearly 20 years ago the salary was comparatively better, the pension was much better (I'm not saying it's bad now but it was better), the staffing was better, you were able to give more care with less paperwork, there was less complex care (obviously it's good that treatments improve but it takes more time so needs more staff and we have less staff), patients have got sicker (before I guess they'd have died).

It's not the same job either from a pay or conditions point of view. I would not go into front line nhs work now. And have thankfully managed to escape a frontline nhs role now. But just being on the periphery is bad enough

Got our dates now. 15th and 20th December.

full support for this xxx
i wish BMA would get on and do something too
well done nurses for taking this stand

Yes. Quite an intimidatory email sent round by the hospital trust yesterday, lots of misinformation contradicting the unions guidance. Makes me even more cross. Got 2.6% increase this year which barely covered the NI increase. The government have messed with the pay structure so much that someone working at my pay grade is on less than the people we manage for 5 years after starting in post. Have had enough.

LionsandLambs

gosh that’s very upsetting.
ive heard my previous Trust has sent a very supportive email about it, to all staff, to support our striking nurses. I was really impressed. Detailing action to support and arrange for strike days.
im surprised and disappointed at your Trust. I mean, why would anyone want nurses to have pay erosion and poor work conditions ffs. If the HCP of this country are treated fairly, doesn’t that benefit everyone?

good luck with it- every doctor I know supports, as do all the AHP xxxxx

Thanks @Lapland123
Good to hear your Trust have been kinder about it.
I wasn’t surprised, ours flies it’s flag on being better than everywhere else so they will hate that their staff voted to proceed.

The Trust I work for seems to be being very supportive of the nurse's strike as well, and is communicating about ongoing contingency planning etc. I'm really impressed with how they're handling it.

It’s great to hear more trusts are supportive, and why wouldn’t they be? It’s the government that’s setting the pay bar so low the trusts are dealing with a nightmare for recruitment and retention

Personally I think it’s grossly inappropriate for NHS trusts to be publicly supporting strike action that will harm patients. The trusts’ role is to deliver high quality patient care, not become pawns in a political game or be an activist group.

Personally it’s getting to the stage where I’d be saying to the unions- you’ve got until December 1 to accept the offer on the table or it’s a pay freeze for the next year. Plenty of other public services in need of the extra cash if NHS staff don’t want it.

I completely disagree with this - Trusts are supporting staff who are taking legally recognised strike action. It's too simplistic to say that any strikes will harm patients (and contingency plans will be put in place to prevent this); the current situation within the NHS is harming patients (and staff) every day.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Your utter ignorance towards the situation is astounding. I can only imagine how awful someone like you must be to work for. Posters keep spelling it out to you and you continue to spout out useless suggestions that will only make the issue worse. You can’t apply private sector mentality to NHS staffing 🤦🏻‍♀️

To spell it out for people like @FriedDuck who seem to lack the very basics of the current situation: The government need nurses more than nurses need the work at the moment. Vacancies are at an all time high, ward staffing is the worst it’s been and payments on agency staff is soaring. Implementing ridiculous suggestions like this will mean more resign and increase the reliance on expensive agency staff/expensive recruitment campaigns abroad to try fill gaps. Neither option offer long term solutions and the problems continue.

Ultimately the NHS costs even more money and likely collapses in the not too distant future.