The nurses have vowed to keep on striking until they are offered a better pay as a poll showed that even patients in poor health support massive NHS staff action.
The TUC said a poll of 1,758 adults showed “broad support” for nurses, ambulances and other healthcare workers undertaking strikes against wages and staff.
A poll conducted by YouGov just before Christmas showed that more than three out of five people diagnosed with health problems supported the NHS workers’ strike. The TUC said the results showed that people who recognize key workers who have helped the UK during the pandemic “should get a fair raise”.
As the latest round of strikes in England and Wales came to an end on Thursday, Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “I understand the public support for what we are doing is huge.
“When I picketed this week, I saw and heard this support first hand. The public is clearly supportive of nurses because they know that nurses speak on behalf of patients. It’s time for the government to sit down at the negotiating table and show nurses and their patients the respect they deserve.”
Earlier, Ms Cullen called on Rishi Sunak to overthrow his health minister and compromise with his members.
She said, “The prime minister should take the olive branch. He must stop the strikes scheduled for early February. I said every day that I wanted to meet Rishi Sunak. He has a commitment and I will definitely do it at any time of the day or night.
“The strike will end when this government does what’s right for the nurses who put them on the picket line and pays them a decent wage and allows them to go back to caring for their patients because that’s what they want.”
Health officials have begun making contingency plans for what could be the biggest strike in NHS history next month. Unions representing nurses will go on strike on the same day, Monday 6 February. This coincides with the 10th anniversary of the NHS Nursing Confidence Survey, which highlights the impact of a lack of caregivers on patient care and excess mortality.
More strikes are planned for February and March and both the NHS Confederation and NHS providers are raising concerns about how the NHS is handling the situation and urging the government to talk to unions about wages. The RCN is advocating a 5 percent wage increase over retail inflation, which is currently over 19 percent.
Referring to the Feb. 6 joint action, Michael Gove, secretary for leveling up, said the government prefers “no strikes at all, and we prefer that there be no coordinated strikes of this kind.” He said the government needs to balance wage demands with “the recognition that we also need to be careful with public money in general.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.