Nurses’ strike brings hospitals to a standstill in Northern Ireland
Belfast: A 24-hour strike by nurses called by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has paralysed hospitals in the UK as well as in Northern Ireland. Hundreds of hospital appointments and medical procedures had to be rescheduled as a result of the strike. Departments, including emergency departments, were exempt from the strike, but hospital operations were impacted.
This is the second strike by the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland in three years. This was the first nurses’ strike in England and Wales. Despite the cold weather, the nurses took to the streets to share their woes and concerns. The nurses have announced that the strike will enter its second phase on Tuesday.
The striking nurses point out that the nurses who have taken care of the patients despite suffering during COVID are not getting fair wages. Nurses’ salaries have actually been cut by 20% over the last decade. At the same time, they claimed that some British government officials’ salaries had increased by 20%. The government isn’t even willing to talk about salary increases with RCN.
This strike was imposed by the government. The health workers’ struggle is for better wages and working conditions. The RCN stated that there is no other option but to strike. Not only is there no salary, but there are not enough employees, RCN said.
Northern Ireland’s three largest trade unions, Unison, NIPSA, and GMB, led the nurses’ strike. The union also stated that in Northern Ireland alone, there are approximately 3,000 unfilled nursing positions in the HSC sector.
The Department of Health stated that it understands the employees’ frustration and concerns. The department also stated that efforts to address the issues are ongoing.
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