Nurses taking Strike Action

I’m married to a nurse but she is not RCN, she’s in Unison. She hasn’t heard anything about a ballot, does anybody know if they are planning a ballot for nurses?

@shmiz I hear you, so am I! And I bet we are not the only nurses taking antidepressants 😏. Seemingly don't work for me though, been through so many! I hope you are doing ok and looking after yourself. What area of nursing do you work in?

Solidarity with all striking workers ✊🏽

And for that 27k I had to study and train for 3 years. Have to pay each year to keep my PIN. Continually update my professional development usually in my free time unpaid. Work understaffed every shift and have constant anxiety that I could kill someone by a simple error because I am exhausted. Physically and emotionally abused regularly. Have witnessed traumatic scenes you couldn't dream of.
I came into the profession to help people but go home each day deflated knowing I can't give the level of care I want due to no staff and bed managers forcing me to move patients to ward unsafely.
The level of training and knowledge required plus having peoples lives literally in your hands deserves more than less than the average UK wage

AHP and I support the nurses. Most won't want to strike as it goes against our principles as working in healthcare, but it is so difficult that they have to.

Agreed. Of course we don't want to strike. But our morals and compassion have been used against us for to long. There seems to be no other option

Not to mention work related ill health or injury. eg communicable diseases , musculoskeletal issues or risk of contracting hepatitis b, HIV or hepatitis C if you sustain a needle stick injury from a contaminated source.

Totally support nurses and doctors striking. I hope people will be supportive of the teachers strikes, as well.

I’m really conflicted on this. Nurses pay is pretty good and the pension is excellent, but it’s such a hard job and the working conditions sound awful. I think they should absolutely get a pay rise that matches inflation, but I don’t support the RCN asking for way above inflation rise. Especially at the moment when cost of living is affecting everyone and most are getting way below inflation or no pay rise. I would more support them asking for 10% plus better working conditions.

I'm completely behind nurses taking strike action and back their right for better pay and improved working conditions but I'm sorry, having to pay for your parking is not something that should even be brought into it. Many people have to pay for parking at work. What about retail workers in town/city centres who are more often than not on minimum wage?

RCM (midwives) also about to vote for strike. I will be voting yes

Nurses have my support, having been on the receiving end lately. If they weren't so understaffed and overworked I might not but the majority do more than pull their weight.

Agree, and paying for own study and student loans shouldn’t either, that’s the same for all graduates, lots not starting on £27k.

Student nurses having to do a lot of shift work during their degrees is a separate matter, this should be paid. Perhaps the apprentice rate would be appropriate for this.

I'm not in the medical profession and can hands down say I couldn't do a nurse's role. I've witnessed the grief they put up with daily whilst in A&E. I've also watched them sit with my elderly grandparents as they died. And taking the time to clean them up afterwards so we could sit with them a while. I've only ever had excellent treatment myself from caring and very overworked nurses.

I absolutely think they should strike. Not only for more money but also to bring back nursing bursaries. The workload caused by lack of staff is directly related to the poor pay and conditions. Improve those - you have more chance of filling the vacancies and the working conditions become better for everyone.

It's easy to stand on a doorstep and clap like trained seals. If the general public truly care about the NHS and nursing staff then we should support the strike. It is the only way they will get better working conditions.

@funtycucker
I'm completely behind nurses taking strike action and back their right for better pay and improved working conditions but I'm sorry, having to pay for your parking is not something that should even be brought into it. Many people have to pay for parking at work. What about retail workers in town/city centres who are more often than not on minimum wage?

Re paying for parking. The issue is that not only are they working long and anti-social shifts but are having to pay to park at their place of work where often public transport isn't available at the times they need it. Nurses and doctors parking shouldn't be something that private companies can make money from. If I worked late in my office role - my company paid for a taxi home (if after midnight). Why should nurses have to pay over the odds just to work long shifts.

Unison is also balloting members re strike action.

@SleeplessInEngland this

yet you see the race to the bottom argument so often you wonder what kind of mad max situation we’d be in if it was allowed to run all the way to it’s conclusion.

all those who are saying here that nurses shouldn’t strike because they are personally not getting a pay rise or because the starting salary for nurses is amazing, etc - I bet they complain when they can’t get appointments, or there’s no social care to support elderly loved ones, and so on, yet when they get to the ballot box they vote tory anyways, because they believe the “hard work pays” trope and earn £160k and like not being taxed an extra 5% on those £10k.

is thinking that hard?

Strange argument, when in every other walk of life, remuneration is always given as a reason to attract (by the tory govt) and retain staff - most recently with Banker Bonuses and the cut in the 45% rate.

Nurses getting a 10% pay rise, just means the status quo, so more staff leave = worse working conditions, so a 5% above inflation is reasonable.

Of course had we not left the EU, we'd still have all those EU nurses who left.

In addition to these points, everyone seems to have forgotten that nurses had experienced a real terms pay cut over 10% before the pandemic even happened. All those years of pay freezes have played a part, then add on recent double digit inflation. If they got the 15% they are striking for, they will still be worse off compared to early 2000s in real terms

Isn’t it one in four hospitals in England have opened food banks specifically for their staff to use?
can’t believe some of the comments in here against nurses wanting a pay rise. Hope you enjoy paying for your healthcare when the nhs collapses as the lack of nurses and doctors currently increases and more leave in their droves.

Those of you saying the pay isn't that bad are missing the point. For the same or better pay you can get a job in a supermarket which means better work life balance, less stress etc so it makes nursing even less attractive. I work with 2 Trusts and they have 25% vacancy rates for nursing at the mo. No one wants the jobs.

I support the nurses.
No employer should have to give out Food Bank vouchers, but that was happening before Covid. It must be even worse now.

I would like my nurses to be fed well, rested well and renumerated well so they can focus on the really important job they do.

My DH is a nurse and supports anything but the strike, he's sure that some of his patients will die or be neglected if he doesn't go in.
I feel for him as it will be difficult to go in if his colleagues are not, but I'm proud of him for sticking to his guns.