Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : RCN confirms the locations of December strikes across the UK [December 2022]

The press release issued by the RCN on 29 November 2022.

Up to 100,000 nursing staff will take part in strikes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland next month, the RCN has confirmed.

Members of the union will take action at half of the locations in England where the legal mandate for strikes was secured in November. The number of NHS employers affected by action will increase in January unless negotiations are held.

There will be strike action at every NHS employer in Wales except one and throughout Northern Ireland.

The strikes will take place on December 15 and 20. The Scottish government has engaged the RCN in negotiations and a separate pay offer has been made.

The union has repeated calls on the UK government to accept its request for negotiations to resolve the dispute over pay and patient safety.

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen said:

“Ministers have declined my offer of formal pay negotiations and instead chosen strike action.

“It has left us with no choice but to announce where our members will be going on strike in December.

“Nursing is standing up for the profession and their patients. We’ve had enough of being taken for granted and being unable to provide the care patients deserve.

“Ministers still have the power and the means to stop this by opening negotiations that address our dispute.”

Despite this year’s pay award, experienced nurses are worse off by 20% in real terms due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.

The Fair Pay for Nursing campaign is calling for a pay rise of 5% above inflation (measured by RPI).

The RCN says the economic argument for paying nursing staff fairly is clear when billions of pounds is being spent on agency staff to plug workforce gaps.

Also, independent research commissioned by the RCN has shown the Exchequer would recoup 81% of the initial outlay of a significant pay rise in terms of higher tax receipts and savings on future recruitment and retention costs.

In the last year, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register. Poor pay contributes to staff shortages across the UK, affecting patient safety. There are 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in England’s NHS alone.

Ends 

Notes to Editors 

Royal College of Nursing members working on Agenda for Change contracts at the following employers will take strike action on December 15 and 20:

England

East Midlands Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

East Midlands NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB

East Midlands Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

East Midlands Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

East Midlands Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Eastern Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Eastern Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Eastern Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Eastern Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

Eastern NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB

Eastern Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

London Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation

Trust

London Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust

London Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

London NHS North Central London ICB

London Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

North West Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

North West Health Education England

North West Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Found Trust

North West Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

North West Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust

North West Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

North West The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Found Trust

North West The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

Northern Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

Northern Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Northern The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

South East Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

South East Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

South East Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

South West Devon Partnership NHS Trust

South West Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

South West Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

South West Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

South West NHS Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB

(BSW Together)

South West NHS Devon ICB (One Devon)

South West NHS Gloucestershire ICB (One Gloucestershire)

South West North Bristol NHS Trust

South West Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

South West Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

South West Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

South West University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation

Trust

South West University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

West Midlands Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

West Midlands Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS

Trust

West Midlands NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (BSol ICB)

West Midlands The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

West Midlands University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

West Midlands Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Yorkshire & Humber Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Yorkshire & Humber Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Yorkshire & Humber NHS England

Yorkshire & Humber The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Wales

Wales Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Wales Powys Teaching Local Health Board

Wales Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Headquarters

Wales Hywel Dda University Health Board

Wales Swansea Bay University Health Board

Wales Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

Wales Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board

Wales Velindre NHS Trust

Wales Public Health Wales

Wales Health Education and Improvement Wales Health Authority

Wales NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership

Wales Digital Health and Care Wales

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council

Northern Ireland Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Northern Ireland Western Health and Social Care Trust

Northern Ireland Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Northern Ireland Business Services Organisation

Northern Ireland Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service

Northern Ireland Public Health Agency

Northern Ireland Northern Health and Social Care Trust

Northern Ireland South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Ambulance Service