LONDON: Thousands of British nurses will strike for better wages on December 15 and 20, according to their union, adding to a winter of industrial action and placing additional strain on the state-run health system.
The strikes are the first of possibly several walkouts by National Health Service (NHS) nurses. They come after the government refused to meet demands for pay rises of 5% above inflation.
The industrial action is unprecedented in the British nursing union's 106-year history and comes as the state-run NHS braces for one of its toughest winters ever.
Strikes are also affecting Britain's rail, postal, and education sectors, as workers struggle with rising expenses.
Patricia Marquis, the director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union in England, stated that the government must pay attention. "
This is not something that nurses do at the drop of a hat," she said .
The RCN says experienced nurses are 20% worse off in real terms than in 2010. The government says the RCN demands would cost 10 billion pounds ($12.14 billion) a year and are unaffordable.
Marquis said that without higher pay, staff would continue to leave the profession, increasing the pressure on those who remain.
Billy Palmer, at the Nuffield Trust, said those who were considering leaving "often cite issues around not having enough staff to do a good job", but their departure further exacerbates the staffing problem.
Health Secretary Stephen Barclay says the RCN's demands are "not affordable" for the NHS. The strikes will add to pressure on the government as Britain faces an economic recession and cost-of-living crisis.
The NHS is dealing with a record 7 million patients on waiting lists for hospital treatment. Accident and emergency departments are also under strain, according to the Office for National Standards.
"Patients are already unable to receive timely treatment," says Wes Streeting of the Labour Party. "Why on Earth is the Health Secretary refusing to deal with nurses?" asks the Labour Party's health spokesperson. A strike by the NHS is "the last thing they need," he adds.