BRI nurses continue strike as union issues ultimatum

Nurses at the BRI joined thousands across the UK on a second day of mass walkouts – their first in over a century.

Continuing the initial strike that began on Thursday, nurses on the picket line turned out in droves over an ongoing dispute with the government about pay and concerns about patient safety.

Staff continue to provide “life-preserving” and some urgent care but routine surgery and other planned treatment is likely to be disrupted.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said staff remain committed to their patients but urgent change is needed, calling for a 19 per cent pay rise. The government says this is unaffordable and NHS staff – including nurses – have been given an average increase of 4.75 per cent.

Strikes are a last resort by nurses like Adriana who feel the NHS has been battered by years of government cuts – photo: Betty Woolerton

Adriana Kozyoa, a trainee nurse associate who has worked for the NHS since 2009, told Bristol24/7 she was considering leaving the profession.

Kozyoa said: “I love what I’m doing. I love this job. But sometimes I feel like I should just go for a look for a supermarket job because the cost of living is so high and the pay is very low.

“I’m also worried when I’ll be an older age and I will need nursing care, it might not be available because there will be no nurses.”

“I’ve seen good friends burned out, leaving the profession”

Also on the picket line was Wright, who works in intensive care research and qualified in 1990, said “things have drastically changed for the worse” in the profession in the last decade.

The 55-year-old said: “There are less staff on the ward, you feel like when you end your shift you haven’t given as much as you wanted to. I’ve seen good friends burned out, leaving the profession.

“It’s not just about pay, but obviously that’s a contributing factor. If the job isn’t attractive, then you’re not going to have the new influx of people.

“It was going badly before the pandemic, and then that hit. Health staff stepped up to the mark whilst others profited from useless PPE. It’s just abhorrent.”

The strike comes in a month that has been peppered with industrial action, with driving examiners, Uber drivers, bus drivers, mail carriers, rail staff and more taking industrial action.

With up to 100,000 balloting to take part, the nurses strike is the first in the RCN’s 106-year history.

“The NHS is in crisis, the nursing profession can’t take any more, our loved ones are already suffering” said the union’s general secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullen.

Issuing an ultimatum to the government on Tuesday, Cullen added: “The prime minister should ask himself what is motivating nursing staff to stand outside their hospitals for a second day so close to Christmas.

“They’re prepared to sacrifice a day’s pay to have their concerns heard. Their determination stems as much from worries over patient safety and the future of the NHS than personal hardship. ”

Union members have set a deadline of Friday for ministers to reopen talks or face further job action in January.

Main photo: Rob Browne

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