United Kingdom Faces Possibility of Largest Nurses' Strike in History
Two nurses participating in a Better Pay for NHS Nurses rally in Sheffield (Flicker).
Over 300,000 nurses across the United Kingdom began voting in a historic ballot vote that will determine if the largest nursing union in the country will engage in a monumental strike for better pay on October 7. The BBC recently reported that the ballot, administered by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), was dispersed amongst union members to determine whether non-urgent nurses would participate in the initiative. The strike, which is the first of its kind and scale in the history of the RCN, was initiated because the National Health Service (NHS) increased wages for medical personnel by only five percent last July despite prices rising over ten percent due to inflation.
According to the Nuffield Trust in conjunction with the BBC, more than 40,000 nurses have quit working for the NHS in the past year alone. Many of these nurses were highly qualified and talented healthcare professionals whose absence only exacerbated the pressures of an enhanced workload on their remaining colleagues. This trend has perpetuated a cycle of increased work and little supportwhile wages have remained stagnant and even in some cases, began decreasing. Findings from a study published by The Health Foundation, found that despite nurses’ basic earnings increasing by thirteen percent between 2011 and 2021, inflation actually caused a five percent reduction in overall wage changes.
The lack of wage increases has led to devastating results for the nurses and their households within the United Kingdom. In a survey conducted by the Cavell’s Nursing Trust, 33 percent of UK nurses reported having financial difficulties with paying for housing and food. Furthermore, 69 percent of respondents reported having little to no funds to pay for a financial emergency. Besides financial costs, the emotional weight of working with little administrative support is taking a toll on nurses. NHS providers reported in their annual data report on healthcare workers that 78 percent of trusts have expressed extreme concern about their staff’s mental health.
Taj Ali, writing for the quarterly UK magazine Tribune, explains how these experiences have caused a decrease in morale for once-motivated healthcare workers. He spoke with one nurse, referred to as Mary, who voiced her frustration with the lack of constructive change, explaining, “‘I feel angry...NHS workers like me were classed as essential during the pandemic. Politicians applauded us and sung our praises, but when it comes to a pay rise, they change their tune quicker than anything.’”
This reckoning has motivated other healthcare professionals to increase their calls for better wages. Ambulance workers across the city of London are also voting on a ballot to determine if 1,500 members of their respective union will engage in a strike over low pay and stressful work. According to Reuters, the British Medical Association is also urging a strike amongst junior doctors who are yet to receive appropriate compensation after demanding increased pay from the UK government since January of this year. These movements demonstrate the expedient rise of vocal healthcare workers in the UK who are taking advantage of their union membership, some for the first time in history.