Starting on 17 April, RCN members will begin continuous industrial action short of strike.
Action short of strike means staff will work strictly to the terms of their contract of employment, often referred to as “working to rule”. This can include taking all contractual breaks, starting and finishing shifts strictly on time, or refusing to undertake paid or unpaid overtime.
The action is "continuous", meaning it will take place across consecutive days without a break. This will continue until our industrial action mandate expires in September 2023.
This action follows the results of the RCN’s statutory ballot on the latest pay award from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which saw an overwhelming 80% of members who voted in favour of taking industrial action short of strike.
This action will not affect the pay award that has already been implemented. The Care Quality Commission has this morning been notified of the action taking place by the RCN. The RCN’s action coincides with that of other unions (Unison, Unite and Prospect).
In July 2022, the RCN and four other trade unions called for a pay award of 5% above inflation (RPI). However, CQC has refused to meet our demands on pay and is instead imposing a real-terms pay cut with this latest pay award. This follows a decade of real-terms pay cuts for staff working for CQC and members have made it clear this is unacceptable.
For more information on what industrial action short of strike action will mean for you, please read our latest FAQs.
