There is solidarity and safety in strike action

Nurses do not consider taking strike action lightly, but the time has come for us to speak up for ourselves, our patients, and our profession. This collective action is an opportunity to bring everyone together to address an urgent situation that I know causes concern for us all. To be included in a fair and equal way in a movement driving positive change for us all feels like a firm step in the right direction.

Strike action is a significant and positive opportunity for us all to influence change, to have our individual and collective voice heard, and to take a stand. The RCN’s focus right now is to secure fair pay for the safety critical work that every member does. Fair pay will benefit not only nurses but will help keep patients safe by encouraging more people to join the workforce and stay in it.

As Chair of the RCN’s Mental Health Forum’s ethnic minority subgroup, it’s important that BAME RCN members are supported, listened to and have their voices heard. The RCN is working hard to understand and overcome the barriers some BAME nurses experience at work and we’re more committed than ever to represent members who are treated unfairly. From joining the NHS as a student nurse from a BAME background my lived experience has made me very conscious of the challenges and barriers they face.

For colleagues already facing mistreatment, the prospect of industrial action may be daunting and that’s why it is so important that safe and supportive spaces are created for these conversations to take place. Empathy is key, as is taking the time to meaningfully engage with ethnic minority colleagues to understand their concerns in the immediate term whilst the complex, long-term, fight against workplace inequality continues.

Our efforts to secure the fair pay we’re all deserving of, and the safely staffed workforce our patients need, is part of the bigger fight for an equal and inclusive workplace where all nursing professionals, irrespective of race, thrive. With the barriers often being higher for my ethnic minority colleagues, I hope they will feel an urgent motivation to advocate for themselves and each other at this historical moment.

I am reassured that any RCN strike action that follows the ballot will be safe and legal and that members who participate are protected by law. Everyone’s vote is confidential and the crucial thing to remember is that across the majority of the UK at least a 50% turnout in each workplace is needed for the RCN to take the next steps towards striking.

A final reminder for you, including my internationally recruited colleagues: Industrial action is legal in the UK – you have the right to strike. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) recognises that “nurses, midwives and nursing associates have the right to take part in lawful industrial action, including strike action.” The RCN will never ask members to act outside the NMC Code. It’s important to remember that all members who take part in industrial action benefit from the same, equal support from the RCN.

I encourage every RCN member to stand together and support one another in pursuit of fair pay, nursing recruitment and retention, and patient safety. As far as the future’s concerned, the RCN will continue to advocate for a clear strategy of how employers can commit to eradicating discrimination, and nursing leaders must continue to play their part in addressing and improving the inequalities, bullying and discrimination faced by BAME nurses. It saddens me and many others that unfair pay is just one of several injustices that some members face, but I am confident that tackling each of them with patience and strength will, ultimately, create the fair workplace that every nurse deserves.