British nurses warn of a strike in the already strained healthcare sector

UK healthcare is facing tough times as the RCN calls for strike action, according to reports. Watchman. It is the union’s first strike since its inception in 1916.

The assembly called the government To negotiate but not be heard. RCN says nurses are “tired of being taken for granted, tired of low pay and insecure staff”.

The union demands a wage increase of at least 17%. With inflation included, the increase would mean a real wage increase of five percent.

British Health Secretary Steve Barclay has praised the nurses’ hard work and regrets their strike.

– These are tough times for everyone Financial conditions mean that the RCN’s demands, which according to current figures mean a 19.2 per cent wage increase, cost £10bn a year, which he says is unsustainable.

Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called wage demands “manifestly unsustainable”.

The strike is expected to have a major impact on Britain’s healthcare system, which is already burdened with long waiting times and staff shortages after the pandemic. Nearly 7.1 million people are waiting in line for care, according to TT.

Waiting times are getting worse despite the remarkable efforts of healthcare staff, and it looks like the winter months are going to be very bleak and busiest ever, says Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS confederation that regulates state-funded care.

Just over 11 percent of the UK nursing workforce left their profession from January to June 2022. This is the highest proportion since 2011. Low pay was a contributing factor. In England, there is a shortage of 47,000 nurses, which threatens patient safety.

The strike will take place on December 15 and 20 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.