UK Nurses To Strike In Mid-December Amid Inflation, Gov't Refusal To Negotiate - RCN

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2022) The UK's Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on Friday announced strikes on December 15 and 20 after the country's government refused to hold formal negotiations on the issue of underpayment affecting staffing levels, a situation made worse by rising inflation.

"Our first phase of strike action will take place on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December after the UK government turned down our offer of formal, detailed negotiations as an alternative to strikes. The strikes will happen in England, Northern Ireland and Wales with a list of employers where strike action will take place announced next week," the RCN said in a statement.

The statement also said that the decision to stage the strike had been caused, among others, by underpayment and low staffing levels, which in turn affects patient safety.

"Staffing levels are so low that patient care is being compromised. Only by paying nursing staff fairly will we recruit and retain people in our profession," the statement added.

Earlier in November, the UK Public and Commercial Services Union said that about 100,000 UK civil servants voted to go on strike to demand higher wages amid record hikes in the cost of living.

The UK has been facing a wave of strikes organized by trade unions in recent months due to record inflation. Railway and airport employees, lawyers, postal workers, nurses and others have been protesting against job cuts and low pay while also demanding an improvement in working conditions.

According to UK government data, the first wave of rail strikes, which took place in June, cost the government more than $110 million.