Five talking points on our indicative ballot

Our talking points to help get the conversation started:

The RCN Scotland Board needs to understand the strength of feeling from members regarding their pay and the impact this has on retention, recruitment and, ultimately, safe staffing levels. An indicative ballot asks individual members whether they personally would be willing, in principle, to take any form of industrial action. The greater the number of members who have their say, the better the indication to RCN Scotland Board of what the next steps should be. This ballot does not authorise industrial action but will help us understand how many members may be willing to take a form of industrial action. If enough members say they are willing to participate in some form of industrial action a statutory ballot may be the next step. A statutory ballot is a legal requirement before industrial action can take place. 

It’s important that members understand what they are being asked to have their say on. Action short of strike might be working strictly to the terms of their contract – taking breaks and starting/finishing shifts on time. If they vote to strike, this would involve complete withdrawal of labour for a period of time and could see members on ‘picket lines’ outside workplaces. Taking industrial action is always a last resort for any trade union – and no more so than for a union representing nursing staff, for whom patient care is always the first priority. At this point in time, it is important that we understand the views of RCN members. 

The RCN knows members are struggling and feeling the effects of poor staffing levels and low morale at work and their pay over the last decade has not kept pace with the cost of living. However, we understand that industrial action has consequences and therefore we are asking members if they are prepared to take that step. It is important for each member to be able to raise their voice by responding to the questions in the indicative ballot. 

Patient safety is always paramount, taking action could in the longer-term, bring improvements (for example reducing vacancies and improving staffing levels) that raise current standards of patient care.  

During any industrial action, patients would be protected, and life-preserving services would be provided to levels already identified as safe such as the services provided on Christmas Day.  

Another form of maintaining patient safety and safe staffing levels is by way of derogations. This is an exemption provided by the trade union organising the strike to a member or service from taking part in industrial action. This option was utilised successfully in Northern Ireland. 

The NMC says “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 Code. 

Derogations ensure employers can maintain safe staffing levels by making a member or service exempt from taking part. Members who choose not to take part or are derogated to maintain services would not be expected to carry out duties of colleagues who are on strike. Local ‘strike committees’ would work with employers supporting sensible calculations of the staff required to maintain patient safety.