Nurses reject pay rise offer from government

UK

Nurses have rejected the government’s offer of a 5.5% pay rise, the Royal College of Nursing has said.

Two thirds of nursing staff voted against the current year’s pay award, with a record high 145,000 members of the union casting a vote.

In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP, RCN general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said: “We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the determination of nursing staff to stand up for themselves, their patients and the NHS they believe in.

“Many will support the new government’s health and care agenda as set out in recent weeks and fully recognise the diagnosis of a failing NHS. Working closely with all other professionals, nursing staff are the lifeblood of the service. The government will find our continued support for the reforms key to their success.”

Professor Ranger added: “To raise standards and reform the NHS, you need safe numbers and they need to feel valued. Nursing staff were asked to consider if, after more than a decade of neglect, they thought the pay award was a fair start.

“This outcome shows their expectations of government are far higher.”

The pay award was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves at the end of July, shortly after Labour won the general election.

The RCN said the high turnout surpassed the level seen in two statutory ballots for industrial action held by the union in 2022 and 2023, the first of which permitted six months of strike action by nursing staff.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Articles You May Like

USA ’24: A storm of misinformation as early voting begins
Nigeria boycott Libya game after airport stranding
Police discover drugs in bag labelled ‘definitely not a bag full of drugs’
Colorado’s Shilo Sanders ‘full go’ after surgery
Manchester United defender undergoes minor heart procedure