Mahnoor Mahmood
Members of the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) protested over disputes regarding pay rise and patient safety outside Leeds General Infirmary on 15th December 2022.
Thousands of employees at the National Health Service (NHS) have also taken it upon themselves to voice concerns regarding staffing shortages and salaries, and call for a change in the treatment of hospitals.
After talks between the RCN and Health Secretary Steve Barclay failed to reach a resolution, employees were set to hold a stream of protests nationwide.
"We can do this. We can absolutely do this." RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive @PatCullen9 gives a rousing speech to members on picket lines, urging them to keep going in this historic fight for safe staffing and fair pay. #RCNStrike #FairPayForNursing #NursesStrike pic.twitter.com/wLxnrBCNoY
— The RCN (@theRCN) December 20, 2022
Keeping in mind the national recession, the employees demanded 19 per cent pay rise above RPI inflation. The government, however, refused this demand, calling it ‘unreasonable’.
Speaking on the matter, Kevin Terry, communication manager at RCN, said: “We believe that without a meaningful pay rise for nurses, we will not resolve and change the chronic staffing shortage in the NHS for nursing”.
Protestor Sophie Glazik also gave her input. She said, “We’re here campaigning for the better care of our patients because we cannot currently retain the nurses that we need. The wards every day are running understaffed. We think a pay rise might help attract staff members”.
Bit noisy here! Big turnout at Leeds General Infirmary today as the nurses’ strike continues @BBCLookNorth pic.twitter.com/c4n5ROkHcE
— Dave Edwards (@daveedwards10) December 20, 2022
According to the latest statistics, roughly 400 employees of the NHS and RCN have quit their roles due to related issues.
Though thousands of people are standing with the healthcare workers, many other members of the public oppose the strikes. As of now, the government has not confirmed their response to the situation.
Featured image courtesy of Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
