UK braces for strike-filled winter; RCN offers to suspend strikes after negotiations

The health unions made a startling offer on Saturday night to end the strikes that would shut down the NHS for the Christmas period if the government agreed to hold real salary discussions. This is the first step taken by the largest union in the nation, Unison, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to end a dispute that has been impasse for days.

Pat Cullen, general secretary of the RCN, stated that she would be willing to ‘push pause’ on any industrial action if Health Secretary Steve Barclay is open to negotiating.’  Negotiate with nurses and avoid this strike. Five times my offer to negotiate has been turned. I will press pause on it when the health secretary says he will negotiate seriously on our dispute this year. That means each of us giving some ground,’ she said.

‘He has nothing to gain by disobeying the NHS labour union representatives. Government must acknowledge that the public holds it accountable for this catastrophic situation. Everyone will benefit from a quick shift in strategy’, said Cullen. Since the government had not complied with the nurses’ demand for higher pay, they had planned to strike on December 15 and December 20. Also intending to strike on December 21 and 28 were more than 10,000 ambulance employees.

UK plans ‘strike-full’ Christmas
‘He has nothing to gain by disobeying the NHS labour union representatives. Government must acknowledge that the public holds it accountable for this catastrophic situation. Everyone will benefit from a quick shift in strategy’, said Cullen. Since the government had not complied with the nurses’ demand for higher pay, they had planned to strike on December 15 and December 20. Also intending to strike on December 21 and 28 were more than 10,000 ambulance employees.

Additionally, a strike by Royal Mail employees is scheduled on December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23, and 24. As a result, delivery will be impacted, and the deadline for mailing first-class and second-class Christmas mail will change from December 12 to December 16 respectively. In Scotland, teachers went on strike for the first time in 40 years after wage agreement negotiations fell down. A representative of Scotland’s largest teaching union left the classroom on November 24.