Nurses set to strike as RCN warns patient safety risks have pushed members to picket line
Nurses across the UK look set to strike
Lisa Smyth
November 06 2022
Thousands of Northern Ireland nurses look set to join colleagues across the UK in strike action to secure a larger pay rise.
A UK-wide ballot of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members closed on Wednesday and while counting is still under way, early indications suggest overwhelming support for strike.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, who led Northern Ireland members in successful industrial action in 2019 and 2020, tweeted: “I am really confident about our results and signs are that members have spoken very clearly across the UK.”
And in a statement issued by the RCN, she said: "Patients are at great risk when there aren't enough nurses.
"Huge numbers of staff - both experienced and newer recruits - are deciding they cannot see a future in a nursing profession that is not valued nor treated fairly."
She added: "As we begin action, politicians in every part of the UK will be challenged to back their nursing staff and understand the strength of public support."
The action could essentially see all but emergency services impacted as part of the largest ever walk-out by nurses across the UK.
Details of how services will be affected, including whether strike action will be co-ordinated across the UK, will be finalised once the final outcome of the ballot is known.
However, Northern Ireland operates under different rules from the rest of the UK, so RCN members here could be out on strike by the end of the month - ahead of their colleagues in England, Scotland and Wales.
The development comes as the day-to-day running of the health service in Northern Ireland has been passed to the Department of Health’s permanent secretary, Peter May.
Robin Swann stood down as health minister last month amid the ongoing failure to establish a fully functioning Executive at Stormont.
It also comes as the Department of Health faces a £450m projected deficit in its budget this year and as pay parity between Northern Ireland healthcare workers and their colleagues in the rest of the UK has ceased once again.
Achieving pay parity was a major aim of the industrial action carried out by healthcare unions in Northern Ireland at the end of 2019 and start of 2020.
This was restored following an agreement between the unions and Mr Swann as he took up his post as health minister in January 2020.
However, it came to an end earlier this year as NHS workers in England, Scotland and Wales all received a pay rise recommended by the independent NHS pay review bodies.
At the time, Mr Swann said that without a public pay sector policy set by the Executive, he was unable to award a pay rise to staff.
Voicing his support to award a pay rise on a par with the other UK nations, Mr Swann said the difficulties he faced were being further exacerbated by the financial challenges facing his department in the absence of an Executive.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has been contacted for comment.
Lisa Smyth
November 06 2022
Thousands of Northern Ireland nurses look set to join colleagues across the UK in strike action to secure a larger pay rise.
A UK-wide ballot of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members closed on Wednesday and while counting is still under way, early indications suggest overwhelming support for strike.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, who led Northern Ireland members in successful industrial action in 2019 and 2020, tweeted: “I am really confident about our results and signs are that members have spoken very clearly across the UK.”
And in a statement issued by the RCN, she said: "Patients are at great risk when there aren't enough nurses.
"Huge numbers of staff - both experienced and newer recruits - are deciding they cannot see a future in a nursing profession that is not valued nor treated fairly."
She added: "As we begin action, politicians in every part of the UK will be challenged to back their nursing staff and understand the strength of public support."
The action could essentially see all but emergency services impacted as part of the largest ever walk-out by nurses across the UK.
Details of how services will be affected, including whether strike action will be co-ordinated across the UK, will be finalised once the final outcome of the ballot is known.
However, Northern Ireland operates under different rules from the rest of the UK, so RCN members here could be out on strike by the end of the month - ahead of their colleagues in England, Scotland and Wales.
The development comes as the day-to-day running of the health service in Northern Ireland has been passed to the Department of Health’s permanent secretary, Peter May.
Robin Swann stood down as health minister last month amid the ongoing failure to establish a fully functioning Executive at Stormont.
It also comes as the Department of Health faces a £450m projected deficit in its budget this year and as pay parity between Northern Ireland healthcare workers and their colleagues in the rest of the UK has ceased once again.
Achieving pay parity was a major aim of the industrial action carried out by healthcare unions in Northern Ireland at the end of 2019 and start of 2020.
This was restored following an agreement between the unions and Mr Swann as he took up his post as health minister in January 2020.
However, it came to an end earlier this year as NHS workers in England, Scotland and Wales all received a pay rise recommended by the independent NHS pay review bodies.
At the time, Mr Swann said that without a public pay sector policy set by the Executive, he was unable to award a pay rise to staff.
Voicing his support to award a pay rise on a par with the other UK nations, Mr Swann said the difficulties he faced were being further exacerbated by the financial challenges facing his department in the absence of an Executive.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has been contacted for comment.
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