Nurse strikes in England to end as RCN boss warns fight for fair pay ‘far from over’

Nurse strikes in England are to come to an end after the profession’s largest union failed to secure enough votes to enable further walkouts.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had planned to stage further strikes after members rejected a pay offer from the government last month, with the union saying 84% of its members backed more action.

Unions are required to hold ballots every six months to refresh their strike mandate, but only 43% of members took part - meaning it failed to reach the legal threshold of 50% that is needed.

Despite falling short of the required votes, RCN general secretary Pat Cullen warned that nurses’ fight to secure fair pay for staff is “far from over” and said she will be meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday afternoon (27 June) to ask questions on behalf of members.

In an email sent to union members, she wrote: “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% 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.”

RCN members were among a minority of health staff who rejected the government’s pay deal of a 5% rise and a lump sum of at least £1,655. Unite is still in dispute, but most health unions accepted the offer. Meanwhile, junior doctors in England are involved in a separate pay dispute and are due to strike for five days next month.

Responding to the ballot result, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Leaders will be grateful for the certainty that the result of the RCN ballot brings and will be pleased to have a full cohort of nursing staff available as we head into winter. However, while the vote has resulted in no more strikes, we must not overlook the concerns and conditions nurses are working in.

“With 112,000 vacancies in the NHS and large numbers of nurses continuing to leave the service, the government must do all it in can to address workforce shortages by implementing a fully funded and long overdue workforce plan, so nurses and other health staff can feel supported in delivering essential care to their patients.”

A Department of Health and Social Care 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 one 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.”