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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you support a nurses strike?

200 replies

VirtueClapper83 · 01/10/2022 21:57

If there’s any truth (little probably) in the headlines, 40000 nurses left the profession last year for better paid jobs/retirement. There can’t be any substantially significant net gain to the profession. Would you support strike action as we’re about to be balloted for it?

OP posts:
MolliciousIntent · 01/10/2022 21:58

Absolutely. Hard job, dreadful hours, shit pay, no respect. Do whatever you think is necessary to make it better.

Wowzel · 01/10/2022 21:59

Absolutely!

Just waiting for the ballot!

Cassillero · 01/10/2022 21:59

Yes. I'd support any strike action from any sector as we've all been fucked over.

mantequilla · 01/10/2022 22:00

Definitely.

FayeGovan · 01/10/2022 22:01

Absolutely. All that clapping for them was a load of shite. Claps dont pay bills. Round here all the tory voters were out every week showing the neighbours they were very interested in clapping for rhe nhs, whilst voting for the bastards who are intent on utterly ruining it.
Arseholes.

DenholmElliot1 · 01/10/2022 22:02

I don't think nurses will ever strike. People will start dying if nurses go on strike so they won't do it. The government knows this and pays them poorly because they know they won't strike.

But I certainly believe that 40,000 nurses left during covid. Burnout I guess.

Justcashnosweets · 01/10/2022 22:02

Yes. I'm waiting on my ballot.

TooBored1 · 01/10/2022 22:02

You'd have my support

Doubledenimrocks · 01/10/2022 22:02

Yes - this government seem to think it's okay to be aspirational but only if you're private sector. Public sector workers are expected to carry the can without any financial reward.

caringcarer · 01/10/2022 22:03

No, people would die.

DenholmElliot1 · 01/10/2022 22:04

So I should have added that no, I wouldn't support a strike.

It's not that I don't think nurses deserve better, because they do - but because people will die if nurses strike.

FruitToast · 01/10/2022 22:04

Yes. They won't strike though . Too many of them can't afford to lose a day of their atrocious pay and they care too much. I doubt they'd knowingly put patients in such a vulnerable position.

mantequilla · 01/10/2022 22:06

caringcarer · 01/10/2022 22:03

No, people would die.

Which would be the fault of the government, not the nurses.

MonkeyPuddle · 01/10/2022 22:06

Tricky. Am a nurse.
lots of nurse in the Facebook group I’m part of for nurses of my speciality say they wouldn’t strike.

onepieceoflollipop · 01/10/2022 22:06

I’m a nurse.
I admit I’ve got very mixed feelings re strike action. I support any of my colleagues who do vote to strike.

It is a hard job, the government imo are stealthily making the NHS fail and the whole training, recruitment and retention of nurses isn’t working.
However a part of me also thinks that compared to some other jobs (should we compare?) we aren’t doing too bad in terms of salary and terms and conditions such as annual leave. Others are significantly worse off…

I’d definitely support a work to rule, leaving on time and taking breaks, that in itself would have a huge impact. I give my job at least 1.5 hours on top of the 12 they pay me for each shift.

DenholmElliot1 · 01/10/2022 22:07

mantequilla · 01/10/2022 22:06

Which would be the fault of the government, not the nurses.

Show quote history

True. They'd still die though, wouldn't they?

findingsomeone · 01/10/2022 22:07

DenholmElliot1 · 01/10/2022 22:02

I don't think nurses will ever strike. People will start dying if nurses go on strike so they won't do it. The government knows this and pays them poorly because they know they won't strike.

But I certainly believe that 40,000 nurses left during covid. Burnout I guess.

This. I'm NHS and it would depend on the nature of the strike as to whether I would back it.

hattie43 · 01/10/2022 22:08

People will be supportive until they have an emergency. Nurses should be paid well without the need to strike

ReeDeeHee · 01/10/2022 22:08

People are already dying due to short staffing.

I don't see how every nurse could strike. Surely someone would have to be on the wards etc?

lljkk · 01/10/2022 22:10

ugh... i support the right to strike. Definitely.

But it's painful all these strikes. I can't be enthusiastic about them.

Does it matter if I "support" ? I don't oppose. I just can't be happy about the strikes.

onepieceoflollipop · 01/10/2022 22:10

Those saying people would die…there are provisions/exclusions for emergency care.

Patients are already dying - sorry to say - how can they not when chronic understaffing means that (for example) observations are carried out as regularly as they should be? On a daily basis nurses have to decide who to leave, who to prioritise. We have to make the least worst decision as sometimes there isn’t a good choice.

we are human, not machines. When a patient complains I am late or forgot something, some days I want to bite back that I would have been a whole hour later if I had taken my (unpaid) lunch hour.

onepieceoflollipop · 01/10/2022 22:14

They did strike in NI in 2019
Attached is the RCN page screenshot about emergency care.

further reading on
rcn.org.uk

lots of the website is publicly available

Would you support a nurses strike?
Original poster
VirtueClapper83 · 01/10/2022 22:16

My concern for the profession is that the government is basically ‘winding down’ home grown training.
It’s cheaper for them to ‘poach’ nurses from overseas, not pay the training costs, dangle the carrot of a ‘better life in the UK’ and keep wages lower.
It was blatantly obvious this was going to be a Tory plan as soon as BoJo got out of ICU following covid. He made a massive deal of being looked after by two nurses from overseas, like an adviser had a whisper in his ear to tell him his experience would be PR gold. Honestly, they’d sell their own families if they thought they could get away with it

OP posts:
bedtimealready · 01/10/2022 22:18

I would totally support them.

Prinnny · 01/10/2022 22:24

Yep, I don’t think they will though.

As a manger I’m struggling to fill my health care assistant vacancies because people can get the same money working in Lidl. Who would want to work nights, weekends, Christmas and be emotionally and physically drained when you can have a lovely time scanning shopping?

Its disgusting, but we’re a caring profession and stuck between a rock and a hard place.

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