British nurses take on the Sunak government

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The first day of the strike affects 72 health centers across England and represents the largest industry mobilization in the country’s history

The UK government is on a steadfast policy in the face of the wave of public sector strikes, which has manifested itself this Thursday with the strike of thousands of nurses in 72 health centres. The protest by the Royal College of Nursing (National College of Nursing) professional association is the largest industry mobilization in the country’s history.

Pat Culen, general secretary of the College, founded in 1916 and over time also converted into a union, is leading the mobilizations, the most notable of which is a demand for a 19% wage increase. The government rejects the request and the PvdA, in the opposition, has also indicated that it would not accept an increase to that level if it were in power, although it would negotiate a solution.

Culen has made no clear defense of that percentage in interviews with the BBC. He denounces that the central problem is that the Minister of Health, Steve Barclay, has not wanted to sit down with the union to negotiate both salary and working conditions in detail. Just over a quarter of NHS employees are satisfied with their work.

The salary scale for nurses, by grade, ranges from $31,000 a year for beginners to over $110,000 for those with higher qualifications and managerial responsibility, to over $55,000 a factory manager with five years of experience can earn. There are tens of thousands of vacancies available, which will be filled after Brexit by nurses from Asia, especially from the Philippines.

The NHS has a salary review system based on the recommendations of an independent body that produces an annual report on staff management and salary increases. In August this year, he proposed one of 4%, referring to the cost-cutting program launched after the extraordinary budgets of the pandemic. Staff costs are 65% of the NHS bills.

The government is taking cover behind that suggestion, recalling that in 2021-2022 NHS staff received a higher pay rise than other public sector workers in recognition of their work during covid. But two Conservative deputies on Thursday asked their government to change its position and review the proposed increase. In Scotland, the Executive negotiated a 7.9% increase, accepted by one of the unions.

On Tuesday, the nurses repeated their protest. Physiotherapists and ambulance personnel have joined the strike wave. That of nurses is geographically dispersed and it has also been agreed to maintain services that may affect patients with a serious diagnosis. It is also a popular strike in a country that joined the daily applause for health workers a few months ago.

Source: La Verdad

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