Nicky Hughes, RCN Wales Associate Director (Employment Relations), reflected on the two days on picket lines:
"A huge thank you to all of our members who took part in strike action across Wales this week. The voice of nursing in Wales is loud and clear and your commitment to patient safety is inspiring.
"We were once again overwhelmed by the support and generosity of the public as many attended the picket lines or gave a friendly 'honk' of their horns as they drove by. It was also great to see babies, grandparents and our four-legged friends enjoying being part of another historic moment for nursing in Wales.
"It is our expectation that this week's strike action will make the Welsh government take meaningful action to resolve our dispute. Otherwise, we will return to the picket lines once again in July".
The strike comes after a majority of eligible members voted to reject the latest Welsh government NHS pay offer in our recent ballot.
Following this rejection, RCN Wales Director Helen Whyley immediately wrote to the Minister for Health and Social Services to urgently re-open NHS pay negotiations. The RCN in Wales has received no response and, as a result, members in health boards and trusts in Wales with a mandate to strike returned to the picket lines.
Derogations were tighter than those imposed in the first round of strike action in Wales in December 2022, and operated on a three-tier system:
- Tier 1 - Fully derogated (critical care, for example, intensive care units and high dependency units, dialysis and chemotherapy services, P1 cancer treatment, neonatal and paediatric ICU).
- Tier 2 - Night shift levels (emergency departments, community services, inpatient services).
- Tier 3 - Non-24-hours services (no derogations for outpatients, walk in-services, P2 cancer services will be derogated on a patient-by-patient basis).
You can find out more information on derogation processes on our Nursing Pay in Wales page.
Speaking ahead of fresh strike action commencing at 7am on Tuesday 6 June, RCN Wales Director Helen Whyley said: “Until the Minister for Health and Social Services re-opens meaningful negotiations to try to resolve our dispute, we will, once again, stand shoulder to shoulder on the picket lines across Wales.”
“If two consecutive days of strike action still does not shake the Welsh government to listen to the voice of nursing in Wales and take actions to resolve our dispute, we will return to the picket lines once again in July. Nursing staff are looking for a fair settlement that shows the government values and understands their profession now and into the future. I would remind the minister that it is entirely in her gift.”
“Nursing makes up the largest portion of the NHS. The Welsh government should heed our concerns about patients’ safety and wellbeing and the nursing profession future.”
“We will continue to be guided by our members, who are best placed to make decisions on what they consider to be an adequate acknowledgement of their skills and value in the NHS.”
“Our statutory industrial action ballot for more strike action will open in early July.”
All eligible members of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales took 12 hours of strike action on 6 and 7 June 2023 from the start of the normal day shift (e.g. 7am to 7pm) due to the continued dispute between the RCN in Wales, NHS Wales Employers and Welsh Government. You can find a full list of picket lines here.
In preparation for more strike action in July, please note that you can only officially join a picket line at your own workplace or at your employer’s headquarters if you don’t have a usual workplace. If there is not a picket line where you work, you can show your support at your nearest location.
We’re encouraging all members working at an NHS employer where we have a mandate to strike to take strike action and to tell their employer they’ll be striking. The RCN continues to work with employers to ensure a robust escalation process is in place that will grant safety critical mitigations throughout the strike, should they be needed.
The RCN Wales statutory industrial action ballot will run from 3 July to 31 July 2023. If eligible members vote in favour, exceeding the legal threshold for strike action, we’ll have a mandate to conduct strikes for a further six months across all NHS employers. Make sure your contact details and postal address are up to date so you can have your say. By law, this ballot must be conducted by post.
