London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Nurses in England reject pay offer, plan more strikes

Nurses in England reject pay offer, plan more strikes

Nurses in England rejected an offer of a 5% pay rise on Friday and set out plans for further strikes, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's attempts to end the dispute and potentially further straining the country's health service.
About 54% of nurses who took part in a ballot voted to reject the deal, said the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) trade union, which had recommended they accept. Turnout was 61% of eligible members.

The RCN said its members would stage a 48-hour strike from April 30, which for the first time will be joined by nursing staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt.

The result represents a major setback for Sunak's government, which has been embroiled in pay disputes with hundreds of thousands of public workers as wages fail to keep up with double-digit inflation.

Tens of thousands of nurses have taken part an unprecedented wave of strikes since December, disrupting an already strained national health service that is NHS dealing with record patient backlogs and serious staff shortages.

"Until there is a significantly improved offer, we are forced back to the picket line," RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said in a letter to Health Minister Steve Barclay.

"Meetings alone are not sufficient to prevent strike action and I will require an improved offer as soon as possible."

Sunak, who took office in October, has made cutting waiting lists for hospital treatment in the NHS one of his priorities, and faces local elections in May ahead of a national ballot expected next year.

Opinion polls have shown strong support among the British public for striking nurses, who the RCN says have suffered over a decade of poor pay, contributing to thousands leaving the profession.

The result of the ballot comes after the government and healthcare trade unions agreed on a pay proposal comprising a one-off payment of 2% of 2022/23 salaries and a 5% pay rise for the 2023/24 year, which began this month.

Most unions including the RCN had recommended their members accept the offer, even though they had generally sought wage hikes more in line with inflation, which has been near 10% in recent months.

Earlier on Friday Unison, which represents ambulance staff and others health workers, said its members have voted to accept the offer.

"This offer was recommended by the union leaders themselves as being fair and reasonable. They recognised how far the government moved," finance minister Jeremy Hunt told Sky News.

"What the public want is an end to these strikes."

Other high-profile pay disputes in Britain that have caused disruptive strikes - including those involving school teachers and the government and railway workers and their employers - remain ongoing.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×