UK government curbs nurses' strike

The British government has succeeded in curbing the length of strike action taken by a trade union representing nurses. This follows the legal action taken by the health department as the country is already experiencing waves of strikes.

On Thursday, the British government took legal action against the upcoming strike action of the Royal College of Nursing, which called for a 48-hour strike starting on the evening of April 30, and would involve the staff of emergency departments, cancer care, intensive care units, and other services that were previously exempted. The government argued that the industrial action that is set for May 2 would be unlawful as a vote to strike is only valid for six months after the ballot of the union’s members.

Lawyers that represent health minister Steve Barclay told the High Court in London that because the RCN’s ballot closed on November 2 last year, a strike that would take place on May 2 would be “clearly unlawful action.” The RCN did not send its own lawyers to the hearing.

Judge Thomas Linden ruled that the union’s mandate for industrial action would end on May 1 at midnight. This meant that strike action that could take place the day after would be deemed unlawful. Barclay welcomed the ruling and said that the government had taken the RCN union to court “with regret,” noting that he supports taking such action within the law.

The nurses in the union rejected the pay offer of a five percent increase despite the RCN’s leadership recommending that the members accept the proposal. The nurses have sought a pay increase that kept up with the country’s inflation rates.

This comes amidst a wave of strikes by workers in key public sectors over pay and working conditions.

On the same day, thousands of railway workers represented by the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers are set to go on strike on May 13. The planned strike follows the rejection by the RMT of a pay offer from train companies after receiving clarification from the companies that the pay increase would only take effect if the union held no further strikes.

The Rail Delivery Group said it made a new offer to RMT railway workers this month but that it was “blindsided” by the RMT’s announcement and that nothing has changed in the offer to the union.