Nurses in England have did not vote in adequate numbers for additional strike motion after the nursing union chief raised issues that they had been deterred by obligatory postal voting.
The Royal School of Nursing had sought a recent mandate for industrial motion over pay till Christmas via a poll of greater than 300,000 nursing employees throughout England, which closed on 23 June.
With an total turnout of 43.4%, the poll fell wanting the 50% of union members voting required by 2016 commerce union legal guidelines for the outcome to face, equal to greater than 150,000 of the RCN’s membership.
Within the poll, greater than 100,000 RCN members voted in favour of strike motion – about 84% of the overall quantity who voted.
To clear the turnout threshold, roughly 140,000 poll papers wanted to be returned within the publish however solely 122,000 had been obtained by the cut-off date on Friday.
The RCN common secretary and chief govt, Pat Cullen, mentioned in an electronic mail to members that the outcome could be “disappointing for a lot of of you”, however that the struggle for honest pay and secure staffing “is much from over”.
She mentioned: “This week, the federal government will say it has a plan for the NHS workforce. I’m seeing the prime minister this afternoon to listen to him out and to ask him the questions you wished answering on his dedication to nurses and help employees.
“I do know employees morale is low and the staffing disaster is ready to worsen with out quick motion. I might be telling him this at this time. We’ve got began one thing particular – the voice of nursing has by no means been stronger and we’re going to maintain utilizing it.”
The RCN mentioned it will proceed to marketing campaign for honest pay, and that members would hear extra quickly on new marketing campaign exercise and the way they’ll apply stress and safe significant modifications to job descriptions, roles and ranges of pay.
The RCN added that members engaged on Agenda for Change contracts within the NHS in England wouldn’t be balloted once more concerning the 2022-23 or 2023-24 pay supply.
The RCN – together with Unite – rejected the federal government’s pay supply of 5% and a one-off fee of at the least £1,655, which was accepted by a number of different unions and arrives in pay packets this month. This was on high of the typical 4.75% pay rise NHS employees had obtained in 2022-23.
Earlier than the outcomes, Cullen urged an affirmative outcome was unsure since she didn’t assume adequate numbers of members would get their postal votes in on time attributable to union legal guidelines stopping on-line voting.
Nurses have taken strike motion 3 times since December however the RCN wanted the help of its members at one other poll to proceed strikes. This poll additionally sought a national mandate, somewhat than at particular person belief degree. A vote in help would have given the RCN a mandate to strike in each NHS belief or different NHS employer in England the place members work.
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The chief govt of NHS Suppliers, Julian Hartley, mentioned that regardless of the end result of the vote “we should not ignore the energy of feeling inside the career and the elements that compelled them to stroll out within the first place”.
He mentioned belief leaders could be “massively relieved” there have been no nursing strikes to plan for, however that they hoped the federal government and RCN would be capable to rebuild their relationship with a view to resolving “wider, ongoing points affecting the NHS workforce, together with understaffing and burnout”.
“Something much less dangers compounding the damaging legacy of more and more lengthy and drawn out industrial disputes between the federal government and totally different teams of healthcare employees,” he mentioned.
A Division of Well being and Social Care spokesperson mentioned: “We massively worth the work of nurses and welcome the top to massively disruptive industrial motion so employees can proceed caring for sufferers and slicing ready lists.
“Greater than 1,000,000 eligible NHS employees are receiving their pay rise and one-off funds this month, with an skilled nurse receiving over £5,100 in additional pay throughout final 12 months and this 12 months. We’re dedicated to supporting nurses to proceed to progress and develop, together with as a part of the upcoming NHS long-term workforce plan.
“We hope different unions who stay in dispute with the federal government recognise it’s time to cease industrial motion and transfer ahead collectively.”