UK ministers have agreed to meet for formal negotiations with union leaders, averting a planned two-day strike from the Royal College of Nursing.
RCN members were planning to restrict activities at acute hospital trusts, including emergency care, in what would have been the largest industrial action from healthcare workers this year.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay and other ministers have been negotiating with RCN leaders since Wednesday, according to reports.
Union leaders have said that workers are underpaid and working in increasingly high-intensity working conditions."Shortchanging nurses during crisis periods makes it harder for hospitals to recruit and retain workers", they said.
Ministers previously refused to negotiate on compensation, noting that pay levels for the year were decided by an independent review body and arguing that pay rises would lead to inflation.
As a result, this planned strike would have marked the fourth consecutive month of industrial action from nurses in England’s public health system.
Even with this strike shelved for now, ambulance workers and junior doctors still plan to strike next month, according to reports.
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