Socialist Alternative in England, Wales & Scotland sends its full support and solidarity to the RCN nurses strike today and on Friday, when they will be joined by Unison, in Northern Ireland. Today is the nurses’ second day of strike action
They are fighting against unsafe staffing levels, there are almost 2,800 vacant nursing posts in Northern Ireland, and for a pay rise after their pay has fallen by 15% in real terms over the last few years. These are issues that face health workers across the UK.
With the devolved assembly in Stormont still not functioning and a Tory government at Westminster which will continue to cut and privatise the NHS, we need to build a mass movement to defend our health service and to get a better deal for NHS workers.
That’s why as well as supporting strikes such as this, we are also calling for widespread resistance to be organised by the trade unions, including coordinated strike action by the health unions, and support the plans of Health Campaigns Together to organise a national protest to save the NHS in the Spring.
