Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, urges solidarity and support between firefighters and nurses as both contemplate strike action to protect patients and the public
Nurses have said enough is enough – no longer can we accept that we are too important to strike but not important enough to pay a fair wage. RCN members will be taking strike action across the UK for the first time in our 106-year history for our patients as much as ourselves.
The nursing workforce crisis and low pay has made care unsafe. There are 47,000 nursing vacancies in England alone and UK health and care services are buckling under pressure.
Low pay is pushing nurses out of the profession – they are deciding the stress of the job is no longer worth being underpaid. This applies to other workers, including firefighters.
The public deserves safely staffed services and we deserve to work in them – that’s the kind of care we came into nursing to give.
Since 2010, our pay has dropped by 20% in real terms, and we are now effectively working one day a week for free. No wonder record numbers are leaving the profession.
Nurses have told me time and time again of how they leave shifts demoralised and angry by their inability to deliver the care their patients deserve.
And then they get home. And they can’t make ends meet. Their children going without too often.
We will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work – that is why we’ve voted to strike.
Politicians have the power to stop strike action at any point – but only if they put serious investment into nursing including fair pay. Otherwise, our first strikes will happen this month.
All of us at the RCN stand in solidarity with the FBU as you go through your strike ballot process, and we appreciate the resolute support shown by the FBU and its members.
