'Nurses have diagnosed a serious problem with Rishi Sunak and the public agree'

17 April 2023 , 18:05

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The vast majority of voters still back the nurses, said Pat Cullen (Image: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

England’s nurses have diagnosed a serious problem with Rishi Sunak. The majority think he still isn’t valuing them or the NHS like he should.

And what’s worse for him is that the public know it too. With just days until his first big test at the ballot box, the vast majority are still backing nursing staff in our fight for fairness.

Why are we back on strike in two weeks’ time?

In short, to show the Prime Minister the strength of feeling in our membership. Record numbers voted and they are telling him that his pay offer failed a basic test of fairness.

The bonus payments felt like sweeteners or bribes to stop striking, the pay increase failed in comparison to inflation.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

It was a historic decision for England’s nurses to go on strike for the first time in our 106 years as a College. They did not get a historic pay offer as a result.

Nurses are planning to hold a 48-hour strike at the end of this month that will be bigger than previous walkouts (PA)

Politicians might be here today and gone tomorrow. But the public knows that nurses are with them through thick and thin, day and night, when young and old.

Our strike is a cry for help and the response hasn’t yet been good enough for our members.

Every nurse is wrestling with questions about the impact on patients. The harsh reality is that patients are already at risk every single day – that’s why we’re doing this.

There are record numbers of unfilled nurse jobs in the NHS. You will only fill them and care properly for patients when you value workers properly.

Ministers are disappointed they haven’t stopped the nurse strikes. But I’m urging them to see the bigger picture and not resort to spite..

It would be the wrong move by government to start taking items off the negotiating table, we must get back in those rooms and come up with a pay settlement that is fair to nursing.

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Pat Cullen