I’d like to extend my warmest wishes to you all for a very happy and healthy new year. If you worked over the festive period, thank you, and I hope you had some time to rest and recuperate around your professional commitments. The last days of December saw fantastic nursing staff recognised for their achievements in the New Year Honours list and I know they proudly accept these for colleagues everywhere, as well as personally.
You may have heard the Prime Minister says he wants his ministers to meet union leaders – but this is nothing new. As in November and December, we will attend meetings to hear what the government has to say. But everyone should understand that these informal meetings are meaningless unless they include negotiations to carve out the solutions desperately needed.
I had hoped the Health Secretary and the Prime Minister would use their time away from Westminster over the festive period to reflect and consider how they could do the right thing by the public, patients and our profession and avert further strike action this month by negotiating with us. But to my dismay Rishi Sunak’s address on Wednesday proved that the UK government remains completely detached from the reality of the crippling pressures our NHS is facing.
I wrote to Steve Barclay once again demanding the government put their words into urgent action to tackle the crisis engulfing the NHS. There is no doubt in my mind that fault falls firmly at the feet of ministers for disingenuously insisting services are adequately resourced when evidence shows they’re at the point of collapse.
Earlier this week, the government also revealed its intention to further restrict the right to strike. Curtailing workers’ freedom to participate in lawful industrial action is always undemocratic and we will oppose it. And as for minimum staffing, safe staffing levels - set in law - are what we want to see year-round, not just in these extreme circumstances.
Multiple times I have offered formal negotiations on pay, but the UK government has refused. That’s why in my letter I again repeated my offer, urging the government to show a renewed sense of urgency.
I am willing to meet the government halfway – I won’t dig in if they won’t dig in. We need to resolve this.
Without an agreement to bring conversations back to the table we will be striking again in England on 18 and 19 January. We are preparing for strike action in Scotland too following the announcement last month that the Scottish government is to impose its pay offer on our members.
I have always known that nursing is a force to be reckoned with as many of you demonstrated so boldly and brilliantly by taking action in December. We are also a force for good, to be reasoned with, and that’s why I will continue to call for the UK government to hit the refresh button and accept my open invitation to hold talks about pay before further strikes take place.
Looking to the year ahead there is plenty to look forward to as the College continues to support your development and that of the nursing profession.
Our Joint Reps’ Spring Conference will take place in March giving our hardworking reps the opportunity to come together to share their experiences from recent months, learn from one another and reflect on the positive differences they are making to workplaces across the UK.
May will see the return of our annual Congress, this year in Brighton. This is the highlight of the RCN calendar and is your chance to meet and network with fellow members from across the UK to discuss, debate and influence the direction of the College for the year ahead. I urge members to consider submitting an item for the agenda before 11 January and securing a place to attend when booking opens shortly.
I’d like to extend my congratulations to the newly elected Vice Chair of RCN Congress, Linda Bailey. Linda has vowed to support more first-time speakers at Congress and encourage a healthy culture of debate.
Personal highlights for me every year are Nurses’ Day on 12 May, and Nursing Support Workers’ Day on 23 November. These are our flagship days to showcase and celebrate you and the incredible work that you do. They are also an important opportunity to highlight the vital, diverse and highly skilled role of the nursing profession as a whole, and I look forward to joining in these celebrations with you later in the year.
2023 will be a pivotal year for our organisation. In addition to moving forward with the pay dispute, I remain committed to implementing the recommendations of the Carr report. This will be a period of significant transformation in the College and there has never been a more crucial time to get involved.
Nominations are now open for the vacant seats on RCN Council and the upcoming elections will give you the chance to decide who you want leading the organisation through this transformational period. Be sure to submit your nomination before the closing date on 23 January.
With such a huge year ahead of us, my plea to you as members is to think about getting involved if you aren’t already. Our college is only as strong as its members and you are at the heart of everything we do.
I was proud and inspired to see so many of you on the picket lines last year standing up for patient safety and defending our profession. It is crucial that as many of you as possible not only take action on strike days, but come forward to get involved in planning, promoting and co-ordinating action in your workplaces during the coming weeks.
Why not make it your new years’ resolution to get to your local branch meeting, find out more about becoming a rep or attending RCN Congress 2023?
I hope you will join me in taking a moment to congratulate yourselves on everything you achieved in 2022 and that you’re looking forward to another year of unity, strength and solidarity for nursing.
You may have heard the Prime Minister says he wants his ministers to meet union leaders – but this is nothing new. As in November and December, we will attend meetings to hear what the government has to say. But everyone should understand that these informal meetings are meaningless unless they include negotiations to carve out the solutions desperately needed.
I had hoped the Health Secretary and the Prime Minister would use their time away from Westminster over the festive period to reflect and consider how they could do the right thing by the public, patients and our profession and avert further strike action this month by negotiating with us. But to my dismay Rishi Sunak’s address on Wednesday proved that the UK government remains completely detached from the reality of the crippling pressures our NHS is facing.
I wrote to Steve Barclay once again demanding the government put their words into urgent action to tackle the crisis engulfing the NHS. There is no doubt in my mind that fault falls firmly at the feet of ministers for disingenuously insisting services are adequately resourced when evidence shows they’re at the point of collapse.
Earlier this week, the government also revealed its intention to further restrict the right to strike. Curtailing workers’ freedom to participate in lawful industrial action is always undemocratic and we will oppose it. And as for minimum staffing, safe staffing levels - set in law - are what we want to see year-round, not just in these extreme circumstances.
Multiple times I have offered formal negotiations on pay, but the UK government has refused. That’s why in my letter I again repeated my offer, urging the government to show a renewed sense of urgency.
I am willing to meet the government halfway – I won’t dig in if they won’t dig in. We need to resolve this.
Without an agreement to bring conversations back to the table we will be striking again in England on 18 and 19 January. We are preparing for strike action in Scotland too following the announcement last month that the Scottish government is to impose its pay offer on our members.
I have always known that nursing is a force to be reckoned with as many of you demonstrated so boldly and brilliantly by taking action in December. We are also a force for good, to be reasoned with, and that’s why I will continue to call for the UK government to hit the refresh button and accept my open invitation to hold talks about pay before further strikes take place.
Looking to the year ahead there is plenty to look forward to as the College continues to support your development and that of the nursing profession.
Our Joint Reps’ Spring Conference will take place in March giving our hardworking reps the opportunity to come together to share their experiences from recent months, learn from one another and reflect on the positive differences they are making to workplaces across the UK.
May will see the return of our annual Congress, this year in Brighton. This is the highlight of the RCN calendar and is your chance to meet and network with fellow members from across the UK to discuss, debate and influence the direction of the College for the year ahead. I urge members to consider submitting an item for the agenda before 11 January and securing a place to attend when booking opens shortly.
I’d like to extend my congratulations to the newly elected Vice Chair of RCN Congress, Linda Bailey. Linda has vowed to support more first-time speakers at Congress and encourage a healthy culture of debate.
Personal highlights for me every year are Nurses’ Day on 12 May, and Nursing Support Workers’ Day on 23 November. These are our flagship days to showcase and celebrate you and the incredible work that you do. They are also an important opportunity to highlight the vital, diverse and highly skilled role of the nursing profession as a whole, and I look forward to joining in these celebrations with you later in the year.
2023 will be a pivotal year for our organisation. In addition to moving forward with the pay dispute, I remain committed to implementing the recommendations of the Carr report. This will be a period of significant transformation in the College and there has never been a more crucial time to get involved.
Nominations are now open for the vacant seats on RCN Council and the upcoming elections will give you the chance to decide who you want leading the organisation through this transformational period. Be sure to submit your nomination before the closing date on 23 January.
With such a huge year ahead of us, my plea to you as members is to think about getting involved if you aren’t already. Our college is only as strong as its members and you are at the heart of everything we do.
I was proud and inspired to see so many of you on the picket lines last year standing up for patient safety and defending our profession. It is crucial that as many of you as possible not only take action on strike days, but come forward to get involved in planning, promoting and co-ordinating action in your workplaces during the coming weeks.
Why not make it your new years’ resolution to get to your local branch meeting, find out more about becoming a rep or attending RCN Congress 2023?
I hope you will join me in taking a moment to congratulate yourselves on everything you achieved in 2022 and that you’re looking forward to another year of unity, strength and solidarity for nursing.
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