Nurses could possibly be on strike ‘up till Christmas’, says Royal College of Nursing head Pat Cullen

Nurses may proceed to carry strikes “up until Christmas” if the present dispute is just not resolved, the chief of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has advised Sky News.

Pat Cullen, the top of the RCN union, was talking as her members picket right this moment – though the interval of motion is truncated after judges dominated the mandate to withdraw labour expired tonight.

But members will probably be reballoted after rejecting a proposal put to them earlier this yr, regardless of different unions accepting it.

“It is for the secretary of state to come back around the table and put a better offer on the table,” Ms Cullen advised Sky News.

NHS ‘on the brink’ says nursing union as strikes continue – follow live

If this fails to materialise, Ms Cullen mentioned the nation may “see our nursing staff on picket lines up until Christmas. But we don’t want that”.

“We do need to bring this health service back from the brink.”

A six-month mandate announce in June would final till December.

When it involves NHS pay, the GMB and Unison unions voted to accept the federal government’s pay supply of 5%, plus a lump sum.

But the RCN and Unite have rejected the identical phrases.

Read extra:
Why are junior doctors striking – and why could it be the worst NHS strike yet?
Couple fear strike by nurses could be a ‘matter of life and death’

An NHS employees council assembly will probably be happening on Tuesday this week, and if a lot of the unions and their memberships point out their help for the pay supply, it’ll seemingly be imposed by Health Secretary Steve Barclay.

This supply solely covers the 2022/23 pay interval nevertheless, and disputes over the 2023/24 interval may proceed.

With the RCN strolling out from round 100 trusts, the well being suppliers have shared how they are going to battle to employees wards.

Matthew Taylor, the chief govt of the NHS Confederation, advised Sky News: “We will cope with today, but it will be difficult.”

He added: “The critical issue now is that the staff council meets tomorrow, and we hope that that staff council will work together and accept the deal, and we can finally end this industrial action.

“Though, after all, the junior docs’ motion remains to be ongoing.”

The junior physician dispute is a part of a separate dispute to the nurses and different unions.