Rotherham nurses won’t join national strike over pay

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) say action will take place in the NHS trusts that have met a legal threshold, but the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Rotherham Hospital is not one of them.

In England, the turnout was too low in nearly half of NHS trusts for strike action to take place.

A representative for the RCN said the threshold to take action was not reached in Rotherham.

Sarah Dodsworth, RCN regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber Region told the local democracy reporting service: “Unfortunately, the turnout threshold hasn’t been reached for strike action to take place in every NHS trust, including Rotherham.

“Our members there and in other organisations who cannot now be part of the strike can be assured that nurses who do go on strike elsewhere will be raising their voices about the issues that matter to all nursing staff.

“Nursing staff will no longer tolerate deflated pay, intolerable working pressures and persistent staff shortages that compromise patient care.

“In organisations where nurses do take strike action, such as in Sheffield, we’ll be working with employers to ensure staffing is maintained in critical and life-preserving services so that patients are protected.

“But this action is as much about wanting better care for patients, with properly-staffed services, as it is about pay.

“Fair pay is one of the keys to resolving the dire shortage of nurses.”