Nurses’ union ‘ready to pause strikes’ if health secretary agrees to pay talks

RCN has reportedly offered to ‘press pause’ on planned strike action

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to take industrial action on December 15 and 20 (PA Wire)

The Royal College of Nursing has offered to “press pause” on planned strike action if health secretary Steve Barclay agrees to negotiate properly on pay.

The offer, first reported in The Observer, came on Saturday evening ahead of the first wave of planned strike action next week.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, whose members are due to take part in unprecedented strike action on December 15 and December 20, told the newspaper that she was willing to press pause on the walkout by thousands of nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland if he agreed to come to the table and discuss a deal on pay demands.

The RCN has accused Mr Barclay of refusing to properly negotiate on pay, with the trade union on Friday accusing the Health Secretary of deploying “bullyboy” tactics against a largely female workforce.

“Negotiate with nurses and avoid this strike,” Ms Cullen said. “Five times my offer to negotiate has been turned down.

“I will press pause on it when the Health Secretary says he will negotiate seriously on our dispute this year.

“That means each of us giving some ground. He gains nothing by ignoring the representatives of the NHS workforce.

“The public blames government for this dire situation, and they have to face up to it. A swift change of tactics will pay off for all concerned.”

The Observer also reports that both the RCN and Unison would consider deals similar to those that led to the suspension of strikes in Scotland.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea told the paper: “Rather than scare the public about the consequences of strikes, the Health Secretary should table genuine plans for improving wages.

“Sitting down with health unions and improving the pay on offer has put strikes on hold across Scotland.

“If Steve Barclay were to mirror Holyrood’s approach and commit to boosting wages this year, the threat of pre-Christmas strikes could well be lifted.”

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called it “an offer the Government can’t refuse”.

He tweeted that the two trade unions had “been clear that there is a deal to be done, but the Government must be prepared to negotiate”.

“It’s time they put patients before Tory politics,” he added.