The chief of Britain’s nurses’ union has accused the well being secretary, Steve Barclay, of being a “bullyboy” who’s unwilling to barter together with her as a result of she is a girl representing a largely feminine workforce.
Pat Cullen additionally claimed the federal government was displaying “notably macho” behaviour in the direction of the Royal Faculty of Nursing (RCN) as a result of she believes it sees nursing as “feminine work” that it doesn’t worth correctly.
Tens of hundreds of nurses throughout England, Wales and Northern Eire are resulting from cease work on 15 and 20 December within the career’s first-ever NHS-wide strike motion, inflicting severe disruption to NHS providers together with A&E.
In an interview with the Guardian upfront of subsequent week’s strike, the RCN’s common secretary additionally criticised ministers for portraying nurses as “grasping”.
She warned nurses might maintain staging stoppages at hospitals and different locations of NHS look after the subsequent six months of their pursuit of a “honest and respectable” pay rise, because the RMT union has in its dispute with Britain’s prepare corporations. Nevertheless, she additionally instructed the RCN would ditch its demand for a 5% above inflation improve if the well being secretary deserted his refusal to start significant talks.
“The extra I give it some thought … I’m a girl negotiating for a 90% feminine career that’s attempting to function with a authorities that’s notably macho and tends to function with a bullyboy tactic. Maybe that’s the explanation why we are able to’t get transferring ahead. By refusing to barter Steve Barclay is ignoring nurses and ignoring me.
“I feel there’s a problem right here with us being feminine. I ask myself, would that [refusal to negotiate] be totally different if it was a 90% male career and I used to be a male? I actually imagine it could be. I feel we’d be handled otherwise,” mentioned Cullen, whose union represents 500,000 nurses throughout the UK.
In a direct assault on Rishi Sunak and his authorities, she added: “And that hyperlinks again to the worth of caring and it being feminine work. Nurses confirmed the significance of care through the pandemic, the significance of being with a affected person at their actual hour of want, the significance of being there to carry their hand and see them depart this world and say ‘it’s OK, we’ll be right here’. That’s all perceived by these folks, by these males, as feminine jobs, feminine work, and that they will deal with us like that.”
Barclay was treating nurses “with contempt and disrespect”, she mentioned. Unnamed senior NHS managers have instructed the Well being Service Journal that they regard the well being secretary as “an actual nightmare, vindictive, boastful, a bully [and] hostile to the NHS”.
Cullen mentioned Barclay’s rejection of pay talks, and Sunak’s plan to usher in new legal guidelines proscribing commerce union members’ proper to strike, confirmed the federal government’s technique for coping with nurses’ pay concerned “bullyish powerful speaking” relatively than discussing the explanations for the RCN looking for such a big wage uplift after which reaching a compromise.
She mentioned she was assured the general public would proceed to help nurses of their pay declare and branded the Cupboard Workplace minister Nadhim Zahawi’s suggestion the nurses’ strikes would assist Vladimir Putin as “disingenuous, disrespectful and weird”.
Different NHS personnel together with ambulance workers, academics, college lecturers and Border Power officers are among the many many different teams of staff who intend to strike over the looming “winter of discontent”.
Barclay has supplied all NHS workers in England aside from docs and dentists an increase of at the least £1,400 this yr. However well being unions have rejected that and are as a substitute set to stage a collection of strikes through the winter in an try to earn a deal equal to inflation, which is now 11.1%.
Cullen mentioned nurses might strike till subsequent June in the event that they really feel they must. “I might sincerely hope he [Barclay] doesn’t push these nurses on to picket strains for the subsequent six months.”
Nevertheless, Cullen – a psychological well being nurse in Belfast – additionally gave a transparent signal that the RCN would drop its 5% above inflation declare if Barclay agreed to talks. The pair did have one face-to-face assembly final month however Barclay declined to speak about something aside from non-pay points.
“It appears this authorities received’t negotiate with a nurse. That’s unlucky. Every little thing is on the desk and negotiations will inevitably contain some give and tackle either side. I received’t dig in in the event that they received’t dig in. However they should come to the desk with me,” she mentioned. If talks do occur, she added, “there must be give and tackle each side and I’ll not be discovered wanting in that”.
Sunak, Barclay and different ministers’ description of the RCN’s pay demand as “unreasonable and unaffordable” exhibits they’re attempting to persuade the general public that nurses are “grasping”, Cullen mentioned. “They don’t seem to be grasping folks as this authorities would possibly wish to painting them.” The fact, she mentioned, is that nurses have seen the real-terms worth of their pay fall by 20% over the past decade and might work 13- or 14-hour shifts with no break. Some are feeling “humiliated” at having to resort to utilizing meals banks and borrowing cash from mortgage sharks and on bank cards to pay their payments.
Cullen mentioned the nurses’ dispute was “a battle for absolutely the soul of the NHS, to deliver it again from the brink and from falling completely over the precipice”. Additionally it is a litmus check of whether or not Britain is a good and respectable nation that correctly rewards nurses for his or her work, relatively than leaving them to be a part of “the working poor”, she added. “What an indictment on any authorities that individuals who have carried us proper by way of this pandemic must be handled like that. It’s flawed.”
Requested what would characterize victory within the dispute, given how far aside the 2 sides are and with no ongoing dialogue, she mentioned Barclay getting into into pay talks would represent “the start of a victory. However a victory for me might be getting nurses a good pay rise in order that we retain each single one in every of them in our well being service.” The NHS in England has vacancies for nearly 50,000 nurses.
A spokesperson for Barclay pressured his respect for nurses and mentioned additional talks with Cullen had been attainable, however didn’t specify if that would embrace pay. “The well being and social care secretary has the utmost respect for nurses and is massively grateful for the dedication of all NHS workers,” the spokesperson mentioned.
“Ministers have had constructive talks with unions, together with the RCN, on how we are able to make the NHS a greater place to work – and have been clear the door stays open for additional talks.
“These are extraordinarily difficult occasions, we’ve accepted the suggestions of the impartial NHS pay overview physique in full and have given over 1 million NHS staff a pay rise of at the least £1,400 this yr. That is on high of a 3% pay improve final yr when public sector pay was frozen and wider authorities help with the price of residing.”
A Whitehall supply mentioned: “Steve had a constructive dialogue with Pat at their assembly final month about a variety of points. His door has been open for extra talks since then. The RCN ought to assume once more earlier than going forward with strike motion. It’s time to resume that constructive dialogue on enhancing working circumstances within the NHS and delivering the absolute best look after sufferers.”
The division of well being and social care has been contacted for remark.