Members of the Royal College of Nursing union have rejected the latest pay offer from the Department of Health and Social Care, meaning they will now go on strike for 48 hours over the first May bank holiday.
The walk-out will commence at 8pm on 30 April and finish at 8pm on 2 May.
Healthcare workers who are members of Unison, including some nurses and ambulance crews, have accepted the offer.
The current offer consists of two one-off payments for the current financial year 2022/23, worth between £1,655 and £3,789 depending on salary band, and a 5% consolidated pay increase for 2023/24.
The government had also committed to certain pledges on working conditions, such as developing a national policy on safe staffing.
For the first time, the RCN said the new strike would mean some critical care services would not be staffed on strike days. The result of the vote was very close, with 54% voting to reject the pay offer and 46% in favour.
Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said: “What has been offered to date is simply not enough.”
“After a historic vote to strike, our members expect a historic pay award.”
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This week has already seen a four-day strike by junior doctors, which has been described as the “most significant and disruptive” walk-out so far by NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor.
Sara Gorton of Unison said the offer her members had secured was “the best that could be achieved through negotiation”.
The government said the Unison decision demonstrated that a “fair and reasonable proposal” could bring the dispute to an end, and that it was “hugely disappointing” that RCN nurses had decided to strike.
Nurses in Scotland accepted a new pay offer from the Scottish government in March, while Welsh nurses are still in negotiations with their devolved government.
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