Nurses to strike for two days before Christmas
It's part of a national walk-out by RCN members
Nurses in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales are to stage a mass walk-out on two days before Christmas.
The 15th and 20th of December will see RCN members take to the picket lines over pay and safe staffing concerns.
The Union is calling for a pay rise of five-percent above inflation, which the government says isn't affordable.
RCN Northern Ireland Director Rita Devlin says nurses in Northern Ireland have it worst, as due to the Stormont stalemate they've lost pay parity that was gained after strikes three years ago.
She told Downtown/Cool FM, “We are once again the worst paid nurses across the UK and conditions for our staff and patients have become intolerable. We are striking as much for our patients as for ourselves.”
Former Health Minister Robin Swann has said if an Executive had been in place during the summer, he could have immediately started the process of delivering the recommended increases in pay, but in the absence of an executive and agreed budget he wasn’t legally able to.
He’s also urged the Secretary of State to use his powers to maintain pay parity.
The College will announce which particular NHS employers will see action next week when formal notifications are submitted.
In Scotland, the RCN has paused announcing strike action after the government there reopened NHS pay negotiations.
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