Sign up to become a strike ballot Voting Volunteer

The RCN is entering a historic period of action. Our members, after years of being undervalued and underpaid, are saying enough is enough.

We’re now asking members to volunteer to make our upcoming strike ballot a success, to encourage as many members as possible to vote in favour of strike action, for the nursing profession and its patients.
  
Sign up to be a Voting Volunteer.

This volunteer scheme is set up to get members active on NHS pay deals – including in Northern Ireland, where HSC nursing staff are yet to receive a formal pay offer for 2022/23 due to the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive.

Our strike ballot opens on 15 September and closes on 13 October. We’re encouraging eligible members to vote in favour of strike action. You’re eligible to vote if you work for NHS and HSC employers on Agenda for Change contracts in the UK. 
 
To win the fight for fair pay, as many RCN members as possible need to get active and engaged in strike ballot activity. At least 50% of eligible members must vote, with the majority voting in favour, for strike action to be legal. In England and Scotland, there are further thresholds that would need to be met on top of this one for strike action to be legal.
   
Voting Volunteers will help encourage friends and colleagues to take part in the strike ballot. This could be done in a number of ways to flexibly fit in with your working schedule and availability.

There are several opportunities large and small, from organising a workplace event, to phoning fellow members about the ballot, to distributing flyers and putting up posters or attending training sessions about pay. 

Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive, said: “We need as many members to get behind the strike ballot as possible, and we need your help to ensure colleagues are aware and ready to vote. Conversations – in person, on the phone, by text – between members will be the key to our success. Whether you can give a small amount of time or a lot, I encourage you to help in any way you can.
 
“Members are holding their heads high and asking to be paid fairly. Nursing staff will stop at nothing to protect their patients too. Staff shortages are putting patient safety at risk and governments across the UK have failed to listen, which has left us with no choice but to advocate for strike action.

“Be a part of nursing history and sign up to become a Voting Volunteer today.”

Click here to sign up to become a Voting Volunteer.