Northumbria Healtcare nurses vote to strike in Royal College of Nurses national ballot

The Royal College of Nurses (RCN) announced that members at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and at North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust met the turnout threshold and voted in favour of strike action.

The dates of action are not confirmed but expected to be before the end of the year.

Critical and lifesaving care will not be impacted by the strike and the RCN has said the industrial action will take place legally and safely.

The RCN say they are campaigning for a pay rise 5% above inflation, as measured by the Retail Price Index.

The trusts join 130 in England, every trust in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and all but one in Wales that voted to strike.

RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: “I want to thank every member who took part in, or supported, this ballot.

“This is a defining moment in our history and our fight will continue through strike action and beyond for as long as it takes to win justice for the nursing profession and our patients.

“Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.

“Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this.

“This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low and we have strong public backing for our campaign to raise them.”

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment.

Karen O’Brien, director of people and development at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), said: “We have around 100 nurses at NEAS working across a range of teams and departments.

"We value the contribution of our nurses who work incredibly hard every day to keep our patients safe.

"Once we know further details of the type of action and dates, we will make sure appropriate plans are in place to both support our staff and to ensure the services we can continue to provide are safe.

"We are working closely with our local trade union colleagues within NEAS and partners across the wider North East health and social care system."

Secretary of state for health and social care Steve Barclay tweeted: “It is disappointing some RCN members voted for industrial action.

“We accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year on top of a 3% rise last year.

“I’m hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff, including nurses.

“But union demands for a 17.6% pay settlement are around three times what millions of people outside the public sector will typically receive and simply aren’t reasonable or affordable.

“My priority is to keep patients safe during any strikes, minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”