More than 300,000 members of Britain’s largest nursing union will begin voting today over a strike, the biggest ballot in its 106-year history.
The Royal College of Nursing said it had been forced into the move, to demand a pay rise that keeps up with soaring inflation after years of real-terms wage cuts deterred people from joining the NHS, leaving huge staffing gaps across the service.
“We are understaffed, undervalued and underpaid,” RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen said.
“For years our profession has been pushed to the edge, and now patient safety is paying the price.”
The union’s boss said below inflation pay meant workers could neither afford to stay in or join the profession, adding that “patient care was at risk” due to thousands of unfilled nursing jobs across Britain.
The union said it wanted a pay rise of 5% above inflation to overcome real-term pay cuts as its members struggle to cope with the soaring cost of living.
