ACROSS England, nurses have begun two days of strikes over pay, threatening fresh disruption for patients in the creaking state-run health service after new figures showed a continued surge in inflation.

The walkout, which started on Wednesday (Jan 18), came on the back of last month’s stoppage by the nurses’ union, the first in over a century. They join a wave of industrial actions by UK public sector workers, who have been hit by a cost-of-living crisis driven by spiralling prices.

Released early Wednesday, the latest annual inflation statistics showed the metric remained close to record highs, with rates in December 2022 at 10.5 per cent. This was a slight easing from 10.7 per cent the previous month.

The main nursing union accused the government of failing to negotiate seriously on improving their pay deal for the current year. This was crucial given the economic situation, they added.

Mental health support worker Steven Bedford said: “We don’t want to do this. This is the last thing we want to do because… we’re caring people.”

“We know A&E (accident and emergency) is probably struggling today. But we have to make a point. We have to make a stand at some point and hopefully something can happen.”

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The latest walkout has piled further pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), at a time of peak demand due to winter illnesses and lengthening waiting lists for treatment caused by Covid cancellations and understaffing.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said further strikes planned for Feb 6 and 7 would “be at the highest intensity” in its history.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay said: “Unaffordable pay hikes will mean cutting patient care and stoking the inflation that would make us all poorer.” He also said that salary increases would “take billions of pounds away from where we need it most”.

Two days of strikes by nurses in England and Wales in December 2022 led to the cancellation of some 30,000 elective procedures and outpatient appointments, the secretary added. The NHS estimated that this week’s walkout could cause 4,500 cancelled operations and 25,000 cancelled outpatient appointments.

But Pat Cullen, head of the RCN, said nurses are “the voice of the patient”. She has repeatedly urged the government to negotiate over pay to retain beleaguered staff and attract new recruits.

“Let’s all get into a room, and sit down and have realistic conversations about how we’re going to address the crisis within the health service.”

Despite the disruption, the nurses’ plight prompted public sympathy amid broad discontent over the government’s management of the NHS. A YouGov poll published on Tuesday suggested that 63 per cent supported the strike.

“We go to work every day as nurses, and we do our best, and our best isn’t enough right now, and that’s because our workload keeps increasing and our resources aren’t matching that,” said A&E nurse Orla Dooley.

“If I were to retrain today I wouldn’t be a nurse. It’s something I used to love, and that’s really sad.”

Parul, a 56-year-old senior nurse who declined to give her last name, added that she had “never faced this much crisis” in her 27-year NHS career.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted recession-hit Britain cannot afford to reopen public sector pay, which has already been set for this fiscal year ending Mar 31.

He has, however, hinted at the possibility of more flexibility in upcoming salary deals, handled by pay-review bodies whose independence from the government has been questioned.

In response to the months-long waves of strikes, Sunak introduced a draft law requiring some frontline workers to maintain a minimum level of service during walkouts. MPs gave their initial backing on Monday to the controversial legislation, prompting fury from unions.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government has gone from clapping (for) NHS workers during the pandemic, to ignoring them, insulting them, and now threatening them with the sack if they fight for decent pay.”

Sunak defended the plans in parliament, calling them “reasonable” and in line with other European countries.

Unite and another union representing ambulance workers are set to announce further strikes, after drivers and paramedics held their second walkout in two months over pay and conditions. AFP