Nurses ‘Willing To Strike Over Pay’

Almost two-thirds of nurses would take industrial action if they received an unsatisfactory pay deal this year, according to a poll. Almost a third (29%) would consider quitting the NHS, with 16% leaving for the independent sector and 13% leaving altogether.

More than 1,000 nurses responded to the survey for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). It found that half (51%) felt their morale was poor or quite poor, with several factors coming into play.

Of those who have low morale, 76% blame their workload, 75% cite NHS financial problems and 62% mention job cuts.

The independent review body is deciding how big a pay rise should be awarded to nurses in 2007/08. The Government has suggested a 1.5% pay deal, but this has caused anger among nurses.

The RCN says that, with the real rate of inflation running at 4.2%, such an award amounts to a real-terms pay cut of 2.7%. For the average nurse, that would mean a £670.70 drop in their annual pay packet, the RCN says.

In its survey, 62% of nurses said they would be willing to take action if the award was unsatisfactory, such as refusing to work unpaid overtime, refusing extra work or going on strike – as long as patients did not suffer in the process, they said.

Nine out of 10 nurses (90%) said their cost of living had increased faster than any pay rise over the past year. Meanwhile, 86% said they would consider a 1.5% pay award unfair, given the current rate of inflation.