Nurses start ‘once in a generation’ vote on strikes over pay

Nurses in London have said they have reached the “point of desperation” as they prepared to vote on strike action for the first time in history over pay.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on Thursday balloted its 300,000 of its members after claiming the NHS pay awards have failed to match the rising cost of living.

Nurses’ real-terms earnings have fallen by 6 per cent compared with 3.2 per cent for private sector employees, according to analysis by London Economics conducted for the union. The sector has also been devastated by staffing shortages, with a 24 per cent rise in the number of nurses leaving the profession in London last year.

Nurses set to vote on strike action told the Standard they were frustrated at “being paid a pittance” despite an ever-growing workload.

Linda Tovey, an ICE nurse, told the Standard: “The problem with nursing is that you could be doing it for 20 years and your prospects for earning more are still limited – there are finite opportunities. People are also coming out of college with huge debt.

“My situation isn’t comfortable, my house is falling apart and I haven’t been on holiday in five years.

“I love being a nurse and I wouldn’t want to do anything else, but it’s increasingly difficult to do because you go home feeling guilty every night… patients are being looked after by people being paid a pittance”.

Amy Fancourt, a 29-year-old nurse working in A&E, said: “London is ultimately unaffordable. Many people my age are leaving the profession to go to the Middle East or Australia because you make a lot more money over there. We have a leaving party every week at work now – it’s become a joke.”

She added: “I work in one of the busiest A&Es in Europe and then come back to a house I can’t afford to heat, that’s when it becomes very real.” Ms Fancourt said that the enthusiasm for supporting nurses during the Covid pandemic had “fizzled out like a sad birthday candle”.

“I’ve not met a single person – even the staunchest Conservatives I know – who think bankers should have a pay increase and nurses shouldn’t. I am so confused and angry this is happening.”

Earlier this year, the Government gave most NHS workers a £1,400 pay rise, well below what unions were calling for.

Mark Farmer, the operational manager for the RCN London region, told the Standard the offer was “pitiful” and called for nurses to receive a pay rise 5 per cent above inflation.

“We’re in a situation where you have hospitals setting up food banks and uniform schemes. That’s great, but the NHS shouldn’t have to be funding this out of charitable reserves.

“Inflation has grown in the past year and that is stretching salaries even further. People are just unable to cope.”

The ballot will close on November 2.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said ministers “value the hard work of NHS nurses and are working hard to support them”.But they added: “Industrial action is a matter for unions, and we urge them to carefully consider the potential impacts on patients.”