Iran Press/ Europe: Thousands of nurses will strike again on January 18 and 19 after walking out two days in December, the Royal College of Nursing said on Friday. They are seeking pay increases in line with inflation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters he is “sad” and “disappointed” about widespread strikes, but he insisted that refusing to negotiate on public sector pay was the “right thing” in the long term.
Strike dates for the nurses union in Scotland are also expected to be announced in the new year after it voted to reject a pay offer from the Scottish government this week.
Inflation stood at 10.7 percent in November, driven largely by food and energy price rises in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I do not wish to prolong this dispute, but the prime minister has left us with no choice,” Royal College of Nursing General Secretary Pat Cullen said on Friday.
Ambulance workers represented by the GMB union have also scheduled a new date for action on January 11 after suspending another walkout later this month.
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“People across the country have been wonderful in backing us, and we care so much about them too,” GMB National Secretary Rachel Harrison said. “That’s why we are suspending the proposed GMB industrial action on the 28th of December.”
Health minister Steve Barclay said unions had announced co-ordinated strikes in January “to cause maximum disruption at a time when the NHS [National Health Service] is already under extreme pressure.”
Barclay noted that ambulance staff on picket lines had raised concerns about working conditions, and he said it was important to use the extra time to keep talking about how to make the NHS a better place to work.
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