Nurses demand better pay in biggest strike action in UK service history

Nurses employed in the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS), many of them Indian, are joining picket lines up and down the country on Thursday in the biggest strikes in history to demand better pay and working conditions amid a cost-of-living crisis.

Up to 100,000 nursing staff are taking part in strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in protest against what they say is years of real-terms pay cuts due to inflation and concerns over patient safety. A further day of strike action is also planned for next Tuesday.

"For many of us, this is our first time striking and our emotions are really mixed. The NHS is in crisis, the nursing profession can't take any more, our loved ones are already suffering, said Pat Cullen, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

"It is not unreasonable to demand better. This is not something that can wait. We are committed to our patients and always will be, she said.

RCN has been campaigning for a pay