THE Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced a new strike ballot which will ask members employed by the NHS in England if they’re prepared to take further strike action in response to the UK government’s pay offer for 2022/23 and 2023/24.
The ballot – which will include all members in England on Agenda for Change contracts – will open on Tuesday 23 May and close on Friday 23 June.
The RCN’s new ballot will be aggregated, meaning the union is seeking a country-wide mandate. This means the union would have a mandate to strike in every NHS Trust in England where RCN members are employed.
To achieve a country-wide mandate, 50% of all eligible members must vote and the majority must say ‘yes’ to strike action.
Previously, the RCN sought a mandate to strike at individual NHS employers, which meant only specific trusts took strike action.
In an email to RCN members, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: ‘Every day, patients are at risk due to chronic staffing shortages.
‘The government has tried to turn people against us by saying strikes are unsafe. But it’s their failure to invest in nursing that has made our wards unsafe.
‘Record waiting lists, people left for hours in A&E, staff forced to treat patients in corridors – it’s all been caused by tens of thousands of nursing vacancies, not by our strikes.
‘So now I’m asking you to use your voice again. From 23 May to 23 June, you’ll get to vote on whether you’re prepared to strike in the coming months to further our call for a fair settlement – one that shows the government values and understands our profession, and cares about public safety.
‘Your vote continues to be vital. By voting, you can help make the challenges facing our profession impossible to ignore. You can force the government back to the negotiating table and to make an improved pay offer. You can give a voice to patients no longer safe in an NHS that is falling apart due to government underfunding.’
The pay offer by government was made on 16 March following six days of strike action and four weeks of intensive pay talks.
Last week, the NHS staff council voted, on balance, to accept the government’s latest pay offer.
However, the RCN voted to reject the offer because members made it clear in the union’s latest consultation that the pay offer isn’t good enough.
