Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

UK: Nurses launch fresh strikes over pay

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Jan 2023 08:21
3 Min Read

The UK's largest nursing union accuses the government of neglecting to seriously negotiate an improved wage deal for the current fiscal year.

  • x
  • Members of the Royal College of Nursing stand on a picket line outside St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Thursday December 15, 2022.(Getty Images)
    Members of the Royal College of Nursing stand on a picket line in London on December 15, 2022.(Getty Images)

Nurses in England started two days of strikes over pay, on Wednesday, as officials warned of disruption for thousands of patients in the UK's state-run health service.

It follows an unprecedented strike by nurses last month, which was part of a wave of industrial action by public-sector workers affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

The largest nursing union accuses the government of neglecting to seriously negotiate an improved wage deal for the current fiscal year.

The latest strike puts additional strain on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) at a time when demand is high and treatment wait lists are long.

"It is inevitable industrial action will have an impact on patients," health minister Steve Barclay said as quoted by AFP.

Two days of strikes by nurses in England and Wales in December led to the cancellation of "around 30,000 elective procedures and outpatient appointments", Barclay said.

"Patients will understandably be worried by the prospect of further strike action by nurses," he added.

Related News

Trump administration warns of economic crisis if tariffs are repealed

World Bank: Global growth to slow sharply, worst since 2008

Nonetheless, the predicament of medical personnel has elicited popular sympathy, as rising food and energy prices have impacted lower-paid workers across the board. It is worth noting that a YouGov poll showed that 63 percent of respondents supported the nurses' strike.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesperson said Tuesday that it is not "the right course of action," adding "We continue to call unions to step away from the picket lines and continue with discussions."

The big picture

Matthew Taylor, the head of the NHS Confederation, which represents state health care providers in England and Wales, called on ministers to renew pay talks with trade unions.

According to the NHS Confederation, this week's nursing strikes might result in 4,500 canceled procedures and 25,000 canceled outpatient appointments.

Further strikes are scheduled for February 6 and 7 by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union, which said they will "be at the highest intensity in our history." GMB, the ambulance workers' union, is also set to announce on Wednesday that it will resume strike action.

This month, ambulance drivers and paramedics staged their second walkout in two months over salary and working conditions.

This is happening as hundreds of Britons are dying each week as the UK government struggles to get a grip on the health sector crisis amid strikes.

The deteriorating economic conditions in the UK have given rise to more protests and dissatisfaction among people, further catalyzed by soaring energy prices and inflation. Workers employed in railroad companies, post offices, airports, and lawyers have also been holding strikes. 

Social dissatisfaction has grown as the UK entered a serious economic crisis earlier this year. annual inflation in the UK hit 11.1% in October. According to the Bank of England, the UK economy has entered a recession expected to last until the second half of 2024.

  • economic crisis
  • NHS
  • royal college of nursing
  • Nurses
  • UK
  • RCN
  • Strikes in the UK
  • largest nursing union

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS