Less than two months remain on the union’s strike mandate.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has come under pressure from its members to ramp up strike action.
Nearly three weeks ago, the union suspended planned strike action to enter “formal and immediate” pay negotiations, but nursing staff are yet to receive any pay offer.
The union has also reportedly dropped calls for a pay rise equating to inflation plus 5%.
With less than two months remaining on the union’s strike mandate, RCN members are now keen to push ahead with all-out strike action.
A petition to RCN Chief Executive and General Secretary Pat Cullen, signed by well over 500 union members, asks the union to reinstate and escalate strike action and automatically reject any below-inflation pay rise.
It calls for nursing staff to align themselves with Junior Doctors, who are refusing to call off strike action without an above-inflation pay offer on the table.
Stronger, ongoing strike action.
Registered nurse and author of the petition, Mark Boothroyd, told NursingNotes the “government will have to be pressured into an above inflation pay rise”.
Mr Boothroyd explained, “We need stronger, ongoing strike action because the government has shown itself time and again not to be concerned with the welfare of patients, staff or the country.”
“The fact it took six days of strike action just to get the government to agree to talk, has shown many members we need to be much tougher in our approach. We should be demanding talks and continuing to strike, until we achieve our full pay demand. Anything less is selling short our members, and the patients we stand for.”
Before concluding, “The RCN has not announced any concrete plans to reballot, and there are rumours they are reducing their organising department staff.
“This sends the government the message that if they drag the talks on a little longer, the RCN will exhaust it mandate, and will no longer be able to bring any pressure to bear.”
