Strikes are taking place across the country this week and next month
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Nurses made history in December 2022 when, for the first time, thousands of staff took part in strikes demanding fair pay and improved patient safety. The Royal College of Nursing announced this week that further strike action has been planned in England and Wales in February as progress in negotiations with the government has not been made.
Planned strike days fall on Monday, February 6 and Tuesday, February 7, where RCN members in England and Wales will strike for 12 hours. Before then, strikes have been planned for today (Wednesday, January 18) and tomorrow.
Around 55 NHS trusts in England, which were not part of December's first wave of industrial action, will be affected this week. In the South West, nine NHS Trusts will be involved, before even more in the region take part in February's action.
Read more: Families 'in tears' after Bristol children's hospital heart surgery cancellations
But just what are nursing staff asking for, how much do they receive already and how will the strikes affect us here in Bristol? We've put together a guide of all you need to know…
Nursing staff are striking to demand fair pay and an improvement to patient safety. RCN general secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullen, said: "It is with a heavy heart that nursing staff are striking this week and again in three weeks. Rather than negotiate, Rishi Sunak has chosen strike action again. We are doing this in a desperate bid to get him and ministers to rescue the NHS.
"The only credible solution is to address the tens of thousands of unfilled jobs – patient care is suffering like never before. My olive branch to government – asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations – is still there. They should grab it.”
According to the RCN: "Researchers at London Economics, commissioned by the RCN, looked at the pay awards that NHS Agenda for Change nursing staff have been given in the UK since 2010. They found that in real terms, the salary of an experienced nurse has fallen by 20% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 16% in Scotland.
"They also found that the Exchequer would recoup 81% of the initial outlay in terms of higher tax receipts and savings on future recruitment and retention costs. The report can be found here."
The average salary for an NHS nurse, according to the Royal College of Nursing, was estimated in 2021 to be £33,384. The pay rise introduced across the NHS in 2022 took that average closer to around £35,000.
Taking a look at current vacancies at the NHS Trusts here in Bristol, including University Hospitals Bristol and Weston and North Bristol, Band salaries seem to be as follows:
According to the Royal College of Nursing, the following NHS Trusts/branches will be involved in strikes this week (January 18 and 19):
According to the Royal College of Nursing, the following NHS Trusts/branches will be involved in strikes on February 6 and 7
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