Britain Braces For First Nurse Strike In Over 100 Years; They Demand Higher Pay
National Health Service (NHS) nurses will go on strike on December 15 and 20 after the government refused to meet demands for pay rises of 5% above inflation.
"Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted, enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve," Royal College of Nursing (RCN) General Secretary Pat Cullen said.
The RCN announced that nurses would go on strike for the first time in the union's 106-year history.
British Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the nurses' demands would amount to a 19.2% pay rise costing £10 billion a year and that the government would give them rises of at least 1,400 pounds each this year.
The RCN says experienced nurses are 20% worse off in real terms than in 2010 after a string of below-inflation pay awards and are seeking a pay rise of 5% above retail price index inflation.
Billy Palmer, at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank, told Reuters that those considering leaving "often cite issues around not having enough staff to do a good job," but their departure further exacerbates the staffing problem.
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
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