Nurses suspend strike for 48 hours as talks begin with government

Nurses in England have called off a 48-hour strike next week as they begin talks with the government over pay.

The Royal College of Nursing and the Department of Health and Social Care issued a joint statement saying they would begin “intense” negotiations.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is due to meet union officials on Wednesday.

RCN originally asked for a 5% wage increase on top of inflation, but has since said it is willing to meet the government halfway.

Next week’s strike, March 1-3, was set to be the biggest in a wage dispute this winter, with half of the frontline services affected.

The measure would have included nursing staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt.

RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said she was “very reassuring to have the Prime Minister’s intervention”.

“We’ll put our plans on the table, and they can put theirs on the table — but I’m confident we’ll come up with a fair wage settlement for our nursing staff.”

She added, “We will make sure that no stone is left unturned” and “to reach a fair wage agreement as quickly as possible so that we can come to a conclusion to these strikes.”

Ministers have refused for months to discuss adding an average of 4.75% to the 2022-2023 salary bonus for nurses and other staff.

For its part, the RCN has marked that line in the sand – and it’s fair to assume that the union’s president, Pat Cullen, would not have been involved in the new talks if there had been no softening of the government’s position.

And she told the NHS Payroll Review it was ready to offer a 3.5% increase. But he does not rule out going even higher.

No one is confirming the exact scope of Wednesday’s discussions, but it seems likely that some sort of push to add to the existing prize could be mooted this year.

A source close to the negotiations said that the door was opened to return the compensation for next year retroactively.

The joint statement said: “The government and the RCN have agreed to enter into an extensive process of talks.

“The parties are committed to finding a fair and reasonable settlement that recognizes the vital role nurses play in the NHS, the broader economic pressures facing the UK and the Prime Minister’s priority to cut inflation in half.

“The Minister of Health will meet with the RCN on Wednesday to begin talks. RCN will pause the strike during these talks.”

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers, which represents health managers, said they would “breathe a sigh of relief” at the news.

“The past weeks have seen an alarming escalation in industrial strikes, which have hit patients hard. This is the glimmer of hope we all need.”

Despite this, other health unions are frustrated at not being drawn into the process.

The NHS is facing more industry strikes from unions representing ambulance drivers to junior doctors and so far more dates could be announced.

The Scottish government has presented NHS staff – including nurses – with a new wage offer for next year that includes a one-off payment and an average salary increase of 6.5% from April.