The UK government may face more strikes as nurses have strongly opposed the new offer of a 3.6% pay increase for this year, calling it "grotesque."
Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who are part of the Royal College of Nursing, (RCN) have strongly voted against the new offer.
RCN will reveal the outcome of a staff vote later this week but union leaders have already confirmed that most nurses have voted against accepting the pay offer.
The RCN said in a statement, “As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.”
This comes after resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors in England are currently on the fourth day of a five-day strike as they demand a 29% pay increase,
At the same time, other NHS workers in England such as ambulance staff who are part of the GMB union, also recently voted against accepting the government's 3.6 pay raise offer.
In response, the union has asked Health Secretary Wes Streeting for an urgent meeting to discuss pay and other issues.
Meanwhile, government ministers and NHS leaders warned that the healthcare systems cannot handle more strikes.
As per Financial Times, the Department of Health and Social Care said that the government could not move further on headline pay “but will work with the RCN to improve their major concerns, including pay structure reform, concerns on career progression and wider working conditions."
