Nursing staff in Northern Ireland are to join colleagues across the UK in balloting for strike action.

The decision has been taken following an emergency council meeting for members in Northern Ireland to join the ballot which could lead to a complete withdrawal of labour.

Nurses in the rest of the UK have never gone on strike before, but their counterparts in Northern Ireland took industrial action in 2019.

The RCN council is calling for a pay rise for nursing staff of 5% above inflation.

Fiona Devlin, chair of the RCN Northern Ireland Board, said: “After years of underpayment and staff shortages, the fight for fair pay continues.

“Nursing staff in Northern Ireland do not even know if they will receive a pay award this year.

“However, we are acutely aware that the pay award for colleagues in England and Wales does nothing to help with the spiralling costs of living and will do nothing to recruit or retain more nursing staff.

“A below inflation pay award does not recognise the skills and responsibility of the job we do and, more importantly, will not improve patient safety. We are appealing to members to vote for change – enough is enough.”

Rita Devlin, director of the RCN in Northern Ireland, said: “It is quite unbelievable that three years after we took industrial action for the first time in the RCN’s history, that we’re asking members if they will take strike action again. This has not been an easy decision.

“Serious shortages of nursing staff are putting patient safety at risk every single day.

“Governments across the UK have failed to take action on this issue and in Northern Ireland, with no functioning Northern Ireland Executive to appeal to, nursing staff have not received a pay offer at all.

“This situation has become intolerable. We took strike action before primarily due to safe staffing and the impact of low pay on retention of nursing staff.

“We’re now in a worse position than ever with unsafe staffing levels and a range of other issues including the high number of nursing staff who are leaving the profession. Unfortunately, we’ve been left with no other choice than to ask our members to vote on industrial action.”

The RCN ballot on industrial action and strike action will take place from September 15 until October 13 by post.

The move comes as Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann warned Stormont colleagues he will need to overspend by £400 million to continue delivering effective services.

Members of the RCN joined with other trade unions for a lunchtime protest over pay rates outside Belfast hospitals on Wednesday.