The March of the Nurses: Overwhelming support of RCN members for Strike Action

[Beskar]

Nurses vote for Ballot on Strike Action

The Royal College of Nursing is globally the biggest voluntary body of Nurses and is 'the Union' for Nurses within the United Kingdom. Historically, the RCN have been very resistance against strike action, with smaller unions such as Unison and Unite being the ones actively advocating strike action. After a decade of cuts and a real terms cut of pay of 20% over a decade, the struggles of Nurses are finally come to a point where the RCN polled its members. 4 out of 5 Nurses voted in support of Strike Action.

A friend of mine at RCN congress today:

They just announced this at Congress earlier on today, it was honestly so passionate and brilliant! This one guy had the whole room in tears! It was great

With Jeremy 'unt alienating Junior Doctors and now the Nursing profession, perhaps there will finally be a wake up call to the problems the Conservative government have caused within the NHS.

[Fragony]

Better give them what they want (and deserve)

[HopAlongBunny]

As someone who dialyzes 3 times a week, I can't imagine denying them whatever they want.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Let's not compare the plight of hardworking Nurses with the non-plight of greedy junior doctors who want more money to work nights.

[Beskar]

Both Corbyn and Tim Carton added the RCN conference whilst the Conservatives were a no show.

From the Nursing times:
The prime minister has shown “contempt” to the Royal College of Nursing and nurses generally by not attending this year’s RCN annual conference, according to its members.

Theresa May this morning confirmed she will not be attending RCN congress this week, despite the leaders of Labour and the Liberal Democrats both addressing delegates at the event yesterday.

All leaders of the political parties were invited to Liverpool and told that time would be made for them on the congress agenda, shortly after the snap general election was announced.

It was hoped that after Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron addressed nurses on Monday pressure would mount on Theresa May to attend personally or send health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Yet as congress opened this morning, RCN chief executive and general secretary Janet Davies read out an email she had received from Ms May’s office confirming the prime minister would not attend the event.

Email:

“I am afraid that it will not be possible for the prime minister to attend the Royal College of Nursing congress this year, but please do accept her best wishes for a successful event.

Britain’s nurses do a fantastic job and deserve our thanks and support. They ensure that patients in our NHS get world-class care, and so we have made it a priority to recruit thousands more since we’ve been in government to help those already working hard.

The Conservative Party’s manifesto will be published shortly and will set out how we will go on supporting the NHS in the next Parliament.

Thank you again for the invitation.”

However, as the comments about nurses deserving “thanks and support” were read out, some members of the audience shouted out “pay”.

Shortly afterwards, a call was made for an emergency item to be added to the congress agenda stating that the prime minister was showing the RCN and nurses “contempt” by not attending.

The proposed resolution also asked Ms Davies to reply to Ms May’s letter “in the strongest terms”.

To applause, the emergency resolution was voted onto the agenda and just as swiftly was passed without debate.

It was proposed by RCN member Linda Bailey and seconded by former college president Andrea Spyropoulos.

Wording of the resolution:

That this meeting of RCN Congress deplores the contempt shown in the letter from the prime minster for the Royal College of Nursing and the nursing family, and asks the general secretary to reply to her in the strongest possible terms

[Beskar]

Let's not compare the plight of hardworking Nurses with the non-plight of greedy junior doctors who want more money to work nights.

Well, it was more about the fact they got a significant pay cut as they changed Night hours to starting at 10pm and they also significantly decreased the amount they got paid for working nights too. So it wasn't them asking for more, it was the fact they objected to earning a lot less as they lose thousands per year with the changes. Junior Doctors were also backbone of night services as there are obvious reasons they don't want consultant doctors doing it.

So I disagree with the fact it is a non-plight.

[Beskar]

Letter sent by RCN -

The letter from the RCN in full
‘Thank you for your response to my two letters of 21st April and 14th May.

‘I shared your letter with congress this morning, who were extremely dissatisfied in your response on behalf of the prime minister.

'Our members are disappointed and saddened, and feel disrespected by the Prime Minister.

‘Nurses were keen to hear from the prime minister personally about her plans to alleviate the difficult, and sometimes impossible situation, in which they are working.

‘Whilst we are pleased the prime minister states that she recognises the value of nursing, this does not reassure us, and feels like empty platitudes when we see no real action being taken to improve the lives of both patients and nurses.

‘This week, our members have spoken passionately about their own personal experiences, working both with insufficient resources to do their job safely and effectively, and insufficient resources to live their lives well, pay their bills and care for their families, or even travel to work to do the job they love so much.

‘Our members have taken the unprecedented step of voting for a summer of planned protest. Many never thought it would come to this and are now looking for guarantees that this government will listen and act on the voice of nurses who keep our NHS going in the most difficult times.

‘I enclose a copy of our manifesto, which I urge the prime minister, should the Conservative Party win the next general election, to enforce in full.’

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well, it was more about the fact they got a significant pay cut as they changed Night hours to starting at 10pm and they also significantly decreased the amount they got paid for working nights too. So it wasn't them asking for more, it was the fact they objected to earning a lot less as they lose thousands per year with the changes. Junior Doctors were also backbone of night services as there are obvious reasons they don't want consultant doctors doing it.

So I disagree with the fact it is a non-plight.

Free training, basic starting salary of £22,000, automatic access to a privileged subset of the Middle Class, good progression options, plus the option to go private in a few years and rank in real money.

Yeah, sorry, non-plight.

Cutting pay for Junior doctors' unsociable hours is exactly the thing the NHS should be doing, that money should then be re-allocated to raise the pay of Nurses across the board.