Nurses Threaten Nationwide NHS Strike as RCN Boss Slams Government Pay Offer
RCN General Secretary Issues Stark Warning to PM
Pat Cullen, General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, has fired off a blunt letter to the Prime Minister. She insists a “meaningful” pay rise from the government could still stop the looming NHS strike. Cullen didn’t hold back, comparing Boris Johnson’s swift sacking of Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi for breaking ministerial rules to what she calls slow-footed action on nurses’ pay.
“As demonstrated by last weekend’s rapid changes in Cabinet, big decisions in the interests of good government can be made by you at any point in the week,” she wrote.
Thousands of Nurses Ready to Walk Out
Tens of thousands of nurses across England are gearing up to strike this Monday in what promises to be the biggest NHS action in years. The industrial action isn’t just a one-day event — nurses plan to strike again on Tuesday, with ambulance crews and call takers joining in on Friday.
Calls for Government to Show Support for Hardworking Staff
Cullen urged the PM to use this crisis as an opportunity to “reset your government in the eyes of the public” by siding with the “hardworking, decent taxpayer.” She stressed there “could be no easier way to demonstrate this commitment than to end the nurse strike as soon as possible.”
Wales Sees Strikes Called Off; Scotland Still Negotiating
Meanwhile, strikes in Wales have been called off after new pay offers, giving a glimmer of hope that negotiations can succeed. Scotland’s unions remain at the bargaining table, waiting to see what happens next.
