In a weekend letter exchange, the Royal College of Nursing warned Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay that its members' attitude is "negotiations or none at all" in light of the upcoming nurse wage strikes.
Mr Barclay wrote to the RCN urging it to think again and "get back to the table" after the union said it would take action on Thursday, 15, and Tuesday, 20 December, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. "We will certainly discuss how we can improve the working conditions of staff."
Mr Barclay said there would be no pay increase but that the government had accepted the NHS Pay Review Body's recommendation.
I am prepared to discuss what can improve the lives of nurses and other staff.
However, the government has accepted the pay recommendation of an NHS Pay Review Body. In its entirety.
Mr Barclay said that the Government "must also take into account the difficult economic circumstances" facing the UK.
"I encourage you to think carefully about your position and return to the table to settle the dispute."
Mr Barclay said that employers affected by strikes should be formally contacted "as soon as possible".
Ms Cullen responded to a request from Mr Barclay for a meeting to discuss a settlement to the ongoing dispute over NHS pay and patient safety.
Ms Cullen wrote to Mr Barclay: "I'm afraid the position of my members is that it is 'negotiations or nothing."
You can't shut them out and keep saying you are open. If your members sit across from them, it shows that you are not seriously interested in progress.
"We need to resolve this. It is only a fortnight before we strike."
It isn't easy to be in the NHS without stuff like that, so some people can't get the pay raises they deserve.
Mr Harper said that pay rises that don't keep pace with inflation are unaffordable for many workers.
We'd like to give public sector workers who work very hard a decent pay rise, but it must not be an inflation-buster.
RCN members want their pay to rise by 5% over what they would get if the pay increases were 1% above what they would have earned.
Over the next three years, nurse salaries in England, Wales, and Scotland will increase by less than the inflation rate. However, nurses in Northern Ireland have not yet received a salary increase for the current year.
Ms Cullen stated that a salary raise for nurses is unsustainable when millions are spent on interim solutions to relieve the NHS staff issue.
It has come to light that the National Health Service (NHS) in England is short 47,000 nurses, and union members are still not paid their due share.
Paying nurses somewhat is essential, but so is recruiting and maintaining the kinds of nurses who will help keep patients safe.
Ms Cullen has stated that strikes are the last choice, but they have been endured for too long. Nurses will not stand by as their patients are endangered; they will act to protect both their patients and themselves.
Union Unison has surveyed its members throughout the UK to gauge their opinion of the wage increases awarded to nurses this week.
There will be a general strike in Northern Ireland since unions have successfully gotten parliamentary permission. The general election results in England and Wales are expected to be announced by union leaders this week.
Scotland's unions also consider a government salary offer as they negotiate a new contract.
CEO of Unison Christina McAnea responded to Mr Harper by saying that public servants cannot sustain annual salary cutbacks. They have hit bottom, and so has their family. Workers in the public sector are running out of options because the rising cost of living makes it impossible for them to continue providing vital services.
Numerous workers are leaving their positions, or have already departed, to pursue higher income in other industries. Their bills have increased dramatically, which will assist them in paying them.
There won't be anybody to take care of our health, support the underprivileged, operate our schools, or offer other essential community services if ministries don't pay employees enough.
