Nurses in England have voiced dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to award a 5.5% pay increase, with two-thirds of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members voting against the rise. The RCN argued that the pay of experienced nurses has fallen by 25% in real terms since 2010 under previous Conservative governments.
Despite the discontent, the RCN is not planning to ballot members for strike action at this time, instead waiting for the government’s response. Prof Nicola Ranger, RCN’s general secretary, emphasized that nurses feel undervalued and are facing understaffed shifts and poor patient care.
While junior doctors recently accepted a multi-year pay rise, nurses continue to seek what they believe to be fair compensation for their work. Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged the difficulties nurses have faced and expressed the government’s commitment to working with healthcare staff to improve the NHS.