London Nurses set to go on strike in January

The pay dispute between nurses in the United Kingdom and the government has continued to escalate with nurses in the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) already planning fresh strikes in the New Year.

The RCN Members who held two days of strike in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20 will stage walkouts on January 18 and 19, a local newspaper has reported.

The body claims its repeated invitations to concerned ministers to hold talks on NHS pay have been fruitless.

“The Government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January. I do not wish to prolong this dispute but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.

“The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.

“The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in if they don’t dig in,” RCN general secretary Pat Cullen is quoted by MyLondon.

The news website also reported a nurse as having to ask her children to contribute to household bills as her salary doesn’t cover the cost.

“Pat Yiggon, a staff nurse, says patient safety is often compromised due to staff shortages, with colleagues leaving to work at Sainsbury’s,” the medium reported.