The Royal College of Nursing has confirmed today that there would be strike action by nurses at just half of the NHS staff in England, where legal authorization for strikes was gained. This news comes after the legal mandate for strikes was achieved.

Despite this, the union has warned that the number of employers in the NHS affected by industrial action would increase in January if discussions on wages are not undertaken.

The news comes following a ballot result earlier this month that made history by showing that RCN members at the majority of NHS employers throughout the UK voted to strike over salary and patient safety concerns. The voting was held by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The College of Nursing has now declared that up to 100,000 nursing staff members will participate in strikes in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The dates of the planned strikes are the 15th and 20th of December.
According to a statement issued by the college this afternoon, union members want to participate in actions at fifty percent of the places in England where the legal mandate for strikes was successfully obtained.
According to the proposals, there will also be strike action at every Health and Social Care workplace in Northern Ireland and every NHS employer in Wales, except one.
While this is happening, preparations to strike in Scotland have been temporarily put on hold. At the same time, the Royal College of Nursing and other unions are evaluating a new salary offer from the Scottish Government.
The health and social care state secretary, Steve Barclay, issued a letter to the union imploring it to reconsider its position and "come back to the table." The announcement of the strike areas came just a few days after the letter was sent.
Despite this, he noted in the letter that there would be no change to the compensation at this time.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is advocating for a salary increase for its members that is 5% more than the RPI inflation rate.

Nevertheless, for the fiscal year 2022–2023, registered nurses in England, Wales, and Scotland were all given raises lower than the inflation rate. On the other handstate, registered nurses in Northern Ireland are still awaiting a wage award for this year.

Pat Cullen, chief executive and the general secretary of the RCN, made the following statement on Tuesday: "Ministers have declined my offer of formal pay negotiations and instead chosen strike action." She continued by saying that this has left the RCN with no choice but to announce where its members will be going on strike in December.

Ms. Cullen said , nurses are not only taking a stand for their profession but also for their patients.
She went on, "We've been tired of being taken for granted and inability to offer the care they need."
The ministers still have the authority and the capacity to end this situation by launching conversations that resolve our disagreement.

When the Department of Health and Social Care was asked to comment on the announcement of striking areas, a prior statement from Mr. Barclay was cited as the department's response.

In this letter, he made the following statement: "I am tremendously thankful for the hard work and devotion of nurses and profoundly regret that some union members will be conducting strike action." [citation needed]
These are difficult times for everyone, and the current state of the economy makes it impossible to meet the demands of the RCN. Based on the most recent estimates, the RCN is asking for a pay raise of 19.2%, which would cost £10 billion annually.

He continued, "The safety of our patients is our priority." The National Health Service (NHS) has implemented strategies that have been tried and accurate to minimize disruptions and guarantee that emergency services will continue to function.

While this was going on, a spokeswoman for the Welsh Government issued the following statement: "We recognize why so many nurses voted the way they did, and we agree that nurses should be adequately rewarded for the essential work they do."

We are also aware of the frustration and disillusionment many people working in the public sector are experiencing now.

They again indicated that they could not raise the amount of money that was being offered for pay "without extra cash being made available by the UK government."
In addition, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland stated that it "shares the unhappiness of Northern Ireland health care personnel at the lack to date of a salary award for this year."

In addition, it expressed disappointment that so many health and care workers feel that taking strike action is required.

The following was added to the statement: "If strike action takes place, the Department and HSC Trusts will engage closely with labor unions to safeguard key services as much as practicable."

However, there will invariably be an effect on the care provided to patients, in addition to a further deterioration of services that are already under extreme pressure.