This ballot result is hard to see. We’ve pushed for there to be greater investment in organising for over 20 months and that hasn’t come fast enough.
With hundreds of people taking action in our #NHSPay15 campaign we’ve seen the largest turnout in an NHS pay ballot in decades. That is all down to the hard work of grassroots activists and you should be proud of yourselves. Without you training in organising skills and putting them into practice, we would have never got this turnout and probably have only received a 1% pay award. And that’s why it is SO important to keep the faith and keep going.
There are so many improvements, the greater focus from unions in organising, the changes to their structures, the new leaders who are taking on representative roles throughout nursing, all will mean we can keep achieving more for ourselves and our patients. It will take more work and will take more time.
However, nurses are getting stronger in the UK and if we stay the course, we will be able to pass a ballot. So let’s keep going. Keep getting involved in our campaigns and keep learning about the practice of organising because that is what will make the difference.
At NU we want to create nursing leaders who have the skills and learning to fight for pay rise, safe staffing and an inclusive NHS, and that’s what we will be focusing on in the coming year.
In solidarity, always,
Anthony