Strike action: Charlie grills Pat Cullen on nurse strikes
Nurse strikes are over after the union failed to reach the threshold needed for further walkouts.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said 84 percent of its members who voted backed more strikes.
But only 43 percent took part in the ballot, so it failed to meet the legal threshold of 50 percent required by the 2016 Trade Union Act.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said in an email to members: “To every one of you who took part, whether by voting or encouraging others to, thank you. We have so much to be proud of.
“While the vast majority of members who returned their ballot papers voted in favour of strike action, we did not meet the 50 percent turnout threshold necessary for us to be able to take further strike action.
“While this will be disappointing for many of you, the fight for the fair pay and safe staffing that our profession, our patients, and our NHS deserves, is far from over.
“This week, the Government will say it has a plan for the NHS workforce. I am seeing the Prime Minister this afternoon to hear him out and to ask him the questions you wanted answering on his commitment to nurses and support workers.
“I know staff morale is low and the staffing crisis is set to worsen without immediate action. I will be telling him this today.
“We have started something special – the voice of nursing has never been stronger and we’re going to keep using it.”
A DHSC spokesperson said: “We hugely value the work of nurses and welcome the end to hugely disruptive industrial action so staff can continue caring for patients and cutting waiting lists.
“More than 1 million eligible NHS staff are receiving their pay rise and one-off payments this month, with an experienced nurse receiving over £5,100 in extra pay across last year and this year.
“We are committed to supporting nurses to continue to progress and develop, including as part of the upcoming NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
“We hope other unions who remain in dispute with the government recognise it is time to stop industrial action and move forward together.”
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