NHS staff in England and Northern Ireland set to strike

[Northerner]

Thousands of NHS workers, including nurses, midwives and ambulance staff, will strike later in a row over pay.

Workers from six trade unions will take part in the strike, which will disrupt some NHS services - although urgent and emergency care will be unaffected.

The action - from 07:00 to 11:00 BST - mainly affects England, while some staff in Northern Ireland are involved.

Trade unions want a 1% pay rise for all NHS staff, but the government has said the proposal would cost too much.

England's chief nursing officer Jane Cummings said "robust plans" had been put in place ahead of the strike, saying patient safety was a priority.

She urged NHS staff to "think carefully" about taking part.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29560083

Good luck to them. I find it interesting that a small group in a minority government can veto a 1% pay rise approved by an independent review body, yet the whole of parliament is powerless to prevent a 10% pay rise for MPs, also approved by an independent review body

 

[Northerner]

Why I am striking over NHS pay

A healthworker's reasons:

http://www.theguardian.com/healthca...-frontline/2014/oct/13/nhs-pay-strike-workers

 

[Northerner]

The strike is a symptom of an NHS in intensive care

Even the Tories admit their reorganisation was disastrous. Frontline staff are paying the price.

Nurses, midwives and others striking on Monday were making only a token gesture, designed to shock, not harm. But their work to rule will push up NHS debt, meaning expensive agency temps must be hired. Though nurses finally snapped after a five-year pay freeze that has meant a 15% cut, pay is only part of the story: the nursing shortage causes intense pressure. Staff are caring for too many patients but get blamed when they can’t care well enough, despite more nurses hired.

However pay is also a token of respect – ask any CEO. To deny a below-inflation 1% was a calculated provocation, muddied by a spurious claim that nurses shouldn’t be paid more as they gain experience. Their anger is as much about the £3bn waste of money in a chaotic reorganisation even cabinet ministers now call a disaster. Does the health secretary hope prodding them into a strike will turn public opinion against NHS staff? Politicians who pit themselves against nurses tend to lose the argument.

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ptom-nhs-intensive-care-tories-reorganisation