The UK government is taking legal action to prevent a two-day strike by nurses planned for the end of April. The strike was called after nurses rejected a new government pay offer earlier this month. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced a 48-hour strike from 8 p.m. on April 30, but the government believes that the RCN's mandate for industrial action expires at midnight on May 1, making the strike illegal.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said in a statement on Monday that the government "cannot stand by and let a plainly unlawful strike action go ahead." This move risks further inflaming tensions with the RCN, which recently voted to reject a new pay offer accepted by another healthcare union, Unison. RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen has called for a "significantly improved offer" from the government.
The RCN's rejection of the pay offer dealt a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's efforts to end a series of strikes within the country's National Health Service (NHS). The government has said it will wait until all relevant healthcare unions have completed their consultations on the new pay package before deciding how to proceed. The RCN is planning to hold another strike ballot next month to secure another six-month mandate from June to December. The union has said it will contest the government's legal arguments.
Cullen has urged RCN members to stand up to the government's legal action, saying that "the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them - including in court." She added that if the court stops part of the strike, the union will have no choice but to cut it short. The ongoing dispute highlights the challenges facing the NHS, which has been under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic and faces ongoing recruitment and retention issues.