RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen Warns Rishi Sunak Not to Underestimate Determination of Members
Key Highlights :
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen has called on health secretary Stephen Barclay to restart pay negotiations with a proposed rise in double digits, warning Prime Minister Rishi Sunak not to underestimate the determination of her members. With the existing six-month mandate running out at the start of the month and a new ballot for strike action due to begin on May 23, Ms Cullen is adamant that fresh negotiations are needed to prevent further industrial action.
Speaking to The Sunday Times ahead of the RCN congress in Brighton, Ms Cullen said: “They (ministers) owe that to nursing staff not to push them to have to do another six months of industrial action right up to Christmas.” Having pushed for a 19 per cent pay rise, she had advised members to accept an offer of 5 per cent – a deal they rejected despite being accepted by 14 other unions.
A union spokesman said: “The negotiations covered two financial years which resulted in a consolidated NHS pay increase of nine per cent. When our members rejected that, it is clear they expect an offer into double figures.” Ms Cullen added: “It’s not so long ago since the prime minister went on the media and very publicly said nurses are an exception. I would totally agree with him… they should be made an exception because they are exceptional people.”
The mental health nurse, 58, from Co Tyrone, said patient safety was “at the centre of everything that we do”. She went on to explain that increased pay would see nurses return to the profession and ease a staffing crisis, adding: “The truth is that patient safety cannot be guaranteed on any day of the week. How could you guarantee patient safety when you have 47,000 nurses from your workforce every single day and night?”
Ms Cullen warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak not to take her members lightly. “Looking back on this pay offer, I may personally have underestimated the members and their sheer determination,” she said. “I think what I would be saying to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is ‘Don’t – don’t make that same mistake, don’t underestimate them’. Nurses believe it’s their duty and their responsibility because this government is not listening to them on how to bring it (the NHS) back from the brink and the message to the Prime Minister is that they are absolutely not going to blink first in these negotiations.”
It is clear that RCN members are determined to secure a pay rise that reflects their hard work and dedication to the NHS. With the ballot for strike action due to begin in just a few weeks, it remains to be seen whether the government will be willing to negotiate a deal that meets the demands of the RCN and its members.
