Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has previously stated that the union’s demand for a 19% pay increase, which the Government has dismissed as “unaffordable,” is simply a “starting point,” and that she would put any new offer to her members. The union may be willing to accept a 10% pay increase. Ms Cullen said in an interview with Times Radio’s Past Imperfect podcast, as reported by The Times, “There is a rhetoric out there that says the Royal College of Nursing is unrealistic, that it’s looking for something that’s completely unattainable, that it’s looking for 19%.” Now, I could sit here all day telling you that nurses’ pay has dropped by 20% in the last decade. “Do I believe those nurses are entitled to 19%? “Absolutely. But we also understand the economic environment in which we work. And what I would say to (Health Secretary) Steve Barclay and the Prime Minister is to get in a room, meet me halfway here, and do the right thing for these nurses. Thousands of nurses walked out on December 15 and 20, and the RCN has said that unless negotiations are opened, its members will strike again on January 18 and 19. According to the RCN, the planned strike would affect more NHS employers in England than previous strikes, increasing from 44 to 55 trusts. The union has also warned that unless an agreement is reached, strike action could continue for the next six months. “We have accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said. This comes on top of a 3% pay increase last year when public sector pay was frozen, as well as general government assistance with living expenses.”
