The first strike dates have been announced

This week, we have announced that the first strikes will take place on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December. In the coming days, I will share with you the locations, and further details about how you can get involved to support this historic action.

The road to industrial action is complex and bound by legislation, and we are working hard to ensure everything is in place before any action is taken to protect members, patients and the profession. I know you will have questions, and I invite you to read our regularly updated online FAQs in the first instance. If you still have questions, you can get in touch with your RCN workplace rep, your regional office or RCN Direct.

In Scotland, the Scottish government on Thursday made another revised NHS pay offer. The offer followed several days of intense negotiations between the RCN and other health trade unions, NHS employers and the Scottish government. The Scottish government’s return to negotiations followed the meeting I had on Friday last week with the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and was a positive development while the UK government continued to refuse our calls for negotiations on pay in the rest of the UK. The new offer in Scotland is slightly improved but still falls far short of our members’ expectations, which is disappointing. RCN Scotland Board members will be considering the detail of the new offer in the coming days before making a decision on what happens next. We will keep members informed of developments.

It is regrettable that the UK government has yet to open formal, detailed negotiations. This stubborn inaction is pushing our members to strike action as the only way the voice of nursing will be heard.

It’s official: nurses have once again been recognised as the most trusted profession by members of the public across the UK. While you took your rightful place at the very top of the independent IPSOS poll, it may come as no surprise that politicians were placed right at the bottom. 

You should take this as a vote of confidence from the public and know that your value is recognised as we head towards strike action. When you speak out and say nursing is unsafe, your words are taken seriously by the public. They know you’re speaking the truth and they want to support you. The strike action we are about to launch is about defending the very essence of nursing: the delivery of safe and effective care. But to achieve this, nursing needs fair pay and conditions to help staff flourish even during the most testing of times. 

I invite you to consider signing up for a strike volunteer role, as your help will be vital during industrial action, whether as a strike committee volunteer, a picket support volunteer or a digital mobilising volunteer.

This week we celebrated nursing support workers across the UK with a day of thanksgiving to our colleagues who make a difference to us and our patients every day. Highlights for me included seeing the outpouring of gratitude and appreciation for our nursing support worker colleagues, and a moving film which truly shines a light on the importance of their work.

To mark the occasion, RCN Wales welcomed 75 delegates to its annual Health Care Support Worker conference: “The emotional labour of caring: Empathise, Empower, Energise.” 

Also in Wales, colleagues joined a group of 10 royal colleges and professional bodies to meet with Members of the Senedd, to call for the urgent transformation of mental health services in Wales.

Next Tuesday, 29 November, an Extraordinary General Meeting will be held for members to discuss and contribute to the transformational plan following the independent review by Bruce Carr KC into RCN culture.

You can attend in person or online and take part in a Q&A with me, your Chair of Council Carol Popplestone and your President, Dr Denise Chaffer. You can also submit a question in advance of the EGM. 

The independent review into the culture of the RCN is available for members to read, and I invite any member who wants to provide further information to call SafeCall or email Bruce Carr KC directly.

An independent and confidential help and support line is available to any members and staff who have been affected by issues related to the Carr Review: 0800 783 1157. The line is open every day of the week, 24 hours a day, managed by the Validium Group, with strict policies and procedures to ensure confidentiality.

If you wish to report anything of concern you have experienced while engaged in RCN activities or events, or any information related to the content of the report you can still do so: 0800 028 2511. Calls are handled in confidence by Safecall, which specialises in safe reporting systems.

The next few months will undoubtedly test our profession. But I know our members are nothing if not resourceful. We know the reasons why we are taking strike action and, while our resolve may be tested, we will not break.