London: Nurses in the UK are set to go on the biggest-ever strike over the salary issue. The nurses’ strike is likely to go ahead as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is scheduled to release the results of the strike votes in the next few days, which ended last week.
The final results are being counted but RCN sources said that a majority of nurses have voted in favour of action over salaries.
The RCN has recommended a walkout of its nearly 300,000 members, with non-essential services being affected if these strikes occur but emergency care not.
“A large number of staff-veterans and new recruits are both deciding that they cannot see a future in a nursing profession that is not valued or treated fairly,” said Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN.
Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden said essential services would be given priority.
He said thar he had demanded an increase of 5% above the inflation rate which is currently above 12%, but no country in the UK has offered close to it.
In England and Wales, NHS staff, including nurses, have been given an average of 4.75% more, in Scotland, NHS staff were initially offered 5%, but this has been changed to a flat rate of just over £2,200, which works just over 8% for a newly qualified nurse. In Northern Ireland, nurses have not yet received a salary increase.