Nurses to vote on possible strike over staffing levels and pay

Board members at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) made the decision to ballot members on industrial action, including possible strike action, on Monday, the Nursing Times reports.

Fiona Devlin, chair of the RCN Northern Ireland board, told the Nursing Times: “The decision taken today is unprecedented in the history of the RCN.

“Members of the RCN Northern Ireland Board have been left with no option but to ballot RCN members in Northern Ireland as a result of the total inaction to address the staffing crisis facing health care in Northern Ireland.

“This situation is compounded by nurses in Northern Ireland being the lowest paid across the UK.”