England’s Nurses Stage a New Walk-Out Over Pay

On Wednesday, nurses throughout England started two days of walkouts over salary, causing more disruptions for patients in the ailing public health system as recent data revealed that inflation was still on the rise.

After nurses staged their union’s first stoppage in more than a century last month, leading a wave of industrial action by UK public sector employees affected by a cost-of-living crisis brought on by spiraling costs, the walkout followed.

Inflation rates declined marginally in December to 10.5 percent from 10.7 percent the month before, according to the most recent yearly statistics, which were issued early on Wednesday.

The largest nursing union charges the government of neglecting to seriously engage in negotiations to improve their wage agreement for the current year, which they claim is essential given the current state of the economy.

Before forming a picket line in the middle of London, nurse Anna Swift declared, “We take strike action with a heavy heavy heart but a clear mind about what we want to achieve.”

She told Sky News, “It’s time to do something to say we need a better salary, we need better conditions.

The most recent strike puts further strain on the National Health Service (NHS) at a time when demand is at its highest due to winter illnesses and lengthening treatment waiting lists brought on by Covid cancellations and understaffing.