‘MY BLOOD was boiling when I heard what he said,’ Patricia Marquis, Royal College of Nursing Director for England, said yesterday after Tory Cabinet Secretary Oliver Dowden announced that Cobra has authorised the armed forces to be used against striking NHS workers.
Following the Downing Street Cobra meeting, Dowden announced that armed forces are to be deployed to hospital trusts, ports and airports to break forthcoming strike action by NHS and Border Force workers.
Coming out of the meeting, Dowden said: ‘Of course it’s up to each individual government department to make sure that they are dealing with the strikes themselves.
‘The job of Cobra is to bring together cross-government action to make sure we minimise as much as we can the disruption to hard-working families arising from these strikes.
‘I would say though that the single best thing that could be done to minimise those risks, we can’t eliminate them altogether, is for the strikes to be called off and for those unions to once again engage with the employers.
‘Because I think it’s only fair and reasonable that at a time when people are struggling both with the consequence of the situation in Russia-Ukraine, as we emerge from Covid and indeed this winter weather, I think most people think it’s fair and reasonable not to undertake these strikes and I would say to the unions even now, call them off.’
Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to strike on 15 and 20 December, ambulance workers are to strike on December 21 and Border Force members of the PCS union are to strike from December 23 to 31.
Patricia Marquis, RCN Director for England, responded: ‘My gut reaction when I heard what he was saying was that my blood was boiling.
‘The public supports the nurses’ decision to take strike action. There is no point in just talking about other things apart from talking about pay. The time for playing games about what is a meeting or is not is over.
‘Nurses believe the only option they have is to take strike action. We have to talk about safe staffing.
‘If it is correct that he (Tory Health Secretary Steve Barclay) is not prepared to talk about pay, if he continues to be so rude and disrespectful to so many people who deliver health care to millions I think it is despicable and very sad.
‘The reason they have voted to strike is because they go to work every day knowing that they cannot deliver what they have been trained to deliver.
‘Thursday is going to be such a difficult day. Nobody is going to be walking out except with an incredibly heavy heart.
‘The support of the public is increasing not decreasing. They really do understand the message that nurses are doing this for patients. The reason that we are doing it now is that, in addition to fighting for pay in our pockets, it’s to stand up for patients. It’s absolutely clear.’
Another Cobra meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
