As chancellor Rachel Reeves told the Labour Party conference they had ended public sector pay strikes, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England voted to reject the government’s 5.5% pay award.
The anger of nurses is clear: the turnout of 145,000 is a record high.
This is despite the RCN leaders not making a recommendation. Now members will expect their leaders to launch a campaign, including balloting for action.
And it is despite Unison and Unite members in the NHS already having voted to accept the pay award. Socialist Party members campaigned for rejection but the Unison leaders recommended acceptance and Unite made no recommendation.
This result is a major blow to Keir Starmer and health secretary Wes Streeting, but should be a boost to all those public sector workers still considering their pay awards – including in PCS and UCU.
Teachers in the National Education Union are voting in a snap poll till 30 September – again Socialist Party members are campaigning to reject, despite the leadership recommending acceptance.
Unison and Unite members in local government are balloting for strike action over their low Tory pay offer, not improved by Labour.
