Nurses in England to stage biggest strikes yet after rejecting pay offer
Nurses in England will stage their most extensive strikes yet after rejecting a pay offer recommended by their leaders, undermining the government’s strategy to end a damaging wave of industrial action in the public sector.
Announcing the results of ballots on Friday, the Royal College of Nursing said members had voted against the settlement that it reached with ministers last month. Most members of Unison, the UK’s largest health union, backed the deal.
The fate of the pay settlement could ultimately be decided by a vote in the NHS Staff Council, a body composed of NHS employers and unions, weighted according to unions’ membership.
The RCN and Unison are by far the biggest players in this forum, but other unions whose ballots have yet to conclude could tip the balance. It will meet on May 2 and report back to the government.
Separately, the PCS civil service union on Friday warned of “the likelihood of a new wave of sustained strike action” after rejecting an “insulting” government pay offer of 4.5-5 per cent.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Philip Georgiadis
