Nurses in the UK will stage a national strike next month, which is set to be the biggest industrial action in the history of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said on Nov. 25 that its members will stage their first ever national walkout on Dec. 15 and 20, after the UK government turned down its offer of formal, detailed negotiations as an alternative to industrial action.
The strikes will take place in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the RCN has paused announcing strike action after the local government reopened NHS pay negotiations.
The RCN has urged Health Secretary Steve Barclay to “stop the spin and start to speak” with nurses to avert a walkout, accusing him of having “chosen strikes over speaking” to the union….