British nurses will strike over pay, the Royal College of Nursing said on Wednesday, announcing the first UK-wide strike action in the union’s 106-year history.
“Results of our biggest ever strike ballot show record numbers of nursing staff are prepared to join picket lines this winter,” it said. Britain’s health minister Steve Barclay described the decision as “disappointing”.
The move comes amid a cost-of-living crisis that the union says has left its members struggling to feed their families and pay their bills.
The industrial action is expected to begin before the end of the year, with dates to be announced soon.
Bosses in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) said in September that nurses were skipping meals to feed and clothe their children and were struggling to afford rising transport costs.
One in four hospitals has set up foodbanks to support staff, NHS Providers, which represents hospital groups in England.
“This is a defining moment in our history, and our fight will continue through strike action and beyond for as long as it takes to win justice for the nursing profession and our patients,” RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said.
“Anger has become action –- our members are saying enough is enough,” she added
