THOUSANDS of nurses are staging a second walkout in a row over pay as a series of strikes hit the UK in the run-up to Christmas.

The second strike by Royal College of Nursing (RCN) staff takes place today (Tuesday, December 20) with further strikes for ambulance staff scheduled for tomorrow.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Government are locked in a bitter dispute over pay, with ministers saying the salary rise demanded by unions is unaffordable.

During the first strikes held last week, a picket line was set up outside the Heddfan Psychiatric Unit at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital. 

Over 30 nurses stood holding signs and banners along the road encouraging drivers passing by to honk their horns to signal their support. 

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The RCN has been calling for a pay rise of 5% above inflation, though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer.

When it submitted the 5% figure to the independent pay review body in March, inflation was running at 7.5%.

But inflation has since soared, with RPI standing at 14.2% in September.

The Government has implemented the recommendations of the independent pay review body, which gave nurses a rise of about 4.75%, with a guaranteed minimum of £1,400.

During Tuesday’s strike, the NHS will be running a bank holiday-style service in many areas as thousands of operations and procedures are cancelled and rescheduled.

The North Wales health board, Betsi Cadwaladr, yesterday announced an internal critical incident amid the strikes, adding that it is 'struggling to cope' due to a lack of beds among other issues.

The Leader:

PIC: Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The RCN has said it will still staff chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care, as well as some other services.

Speaking ahead of the strike, RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said: “The Prime Minister should ask himself what is motivating nursing staff to stand outside their hospitals for a second day so close to Christmas.

“They are prepared to sacrifice a day’s pay to have their concerns heard. Their determination stems as much from worries over patient safety and the future of the NHS than personal hardship.

“Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure in Westminster following last Thursday’s strike and he should listen to people around him.

“The public is increasingly with their local nursing staff and this Government desperately needs to get on the right side of them. It is unprecedented for my members to strike.

“Let’s get this wrapped up by Christmas. I will negotiate with him at any point to stop nursing staff and patients going into the new year facing such uncertainty.

“But if this Government isn’t prepared to do the right thing, we’ll have no choice but to continue in January and that will be deeply regrettable.”

The Leader:

PIC: 'Understaffed, Undervalued, Underpaid' Nurses at Wrexham Maelor Hosptial strike last week.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “The RCN’s demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from frontline services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic. I’m open to engaging with the unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work.”

Mr Barclay will meet unions representing striking ambulance drivers in 11th hour talks on Tuesday, although the discussions are unlikely to avert the action.

During Wednesday’s ambulance strike, the military will not drive ambulances on blue lights for the most serious calls but are expected to provide support on less serious calls.

Negotiations between unions and ambulance services are still ongoing to work out which incidents should be exempt from strike action.