Nurses in the UK have indirectly voted against taking further industrial action in ongoing pay NHS dispute.
Despite the majority (100,000) of members voting in favour of strike action, fewer than 50% of RCN members actually took part in the ballot, meaning the number required for a result to stand was not met.
One union leader said they feared mandatory postal voting was a key deterrent.
Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive described the result as “disappointing” but stated that the pay dispute is “far from over”.
“This week, the government will say it has a plan for the NHS workforce. I am seeing the prime minister this afternoon to hear him out and to ask him the questions you wanted answering on his commitment to nurses and support workers,” she added.
“I know staff morale is low and the staffing crisis is set to worsen without immediate action. I will be telling him this today. We have started something special – the voice of nursing has never been stronger and we’re going to keep using it.”
The RCN said it will continue to strive for fairer pay for nurses and will share new campaign activity with members soon.
Here at MCM Medical, we stand with all nursing staff and will continue in our support for fairer pay.
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