It’s highly likely that nurses will strike in the run up to Christmas, with more dates set to be announced. According to the Royal College of Nursing, healthcare workers would walk out on Thursday 15th December and Tuesday 20th December this year.
For the first time in the history NHS staff feel as they have no choice but to take strike action after accusing the government of sidestepping serious issues about pay and patient safety.
The news follows the RMT’s recent announcement that there would be no overtime across the entire railway network from 18th December until 2nd January, 2023 – meaning that workers will be striking for up to four weeks.
The UK postal service is also facing Armageddon after recent strikes during the Black Friday weekend – two of the busiest days in the year for them.
The RNC released a statement informing that nurses will strike in England, Wales and Northern Island, stating:
“the dispute is over pay, but also patient safety. Staffing levels are so low that patient care is being compromised, so striking and compromising patient safety even more is the only answer. Despite people joining the profession primarily to care for others, only by paying nursing staff fairly will we recruit and retain people in our profession.”
News of the striking has led to celebrities to be vocal and encourage the general public to get involved. Alison Hammond – who has won numerous awards for her role in the Sainsbury’s 2022 Christmas advertisement this year – has suggested on social media that we need to all do out bit by bringing back the ‘Clap for Our Carers’ after Eastenders at 8pm each Thursday night.
