Just under a month ago, Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, tweeted his praise for nurses at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust for choosing “to continue to care for patients instead of opting for strike action”.
Bob has made his opinions clear on workers across various industries using strike action to seek better pay or improved working conditions.
Didn’t meet legal threshold
However, as reported by News OnTheWight at the time, it was the fact that IW nurses did not reach the legal 50 per cent turnout threshold in the ballot which determined whether or not there would be strike action.
News OnTheWight have been digging deeper to try and find out more information about numbers voting for strike action over pay and fears for patient safety.
86 per cent voted for strike action
News OnTheWight has now seen the numbers for the ballot and it reveals that of those who did vote in the ballot, 86 per cent voted in favour of strike action.
There were 568 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members eligible to vote, but only 237 voted, with 205 of them voting in favour.
Difficulties voting
One RCN member told News OnTheWight that many of their colleagues did not receive ballot papers in time.
Whilst another told News OnTheWight that it was an incredibly difficult decision for nurses to have to consider.
Foodbanks at hospitals
According to Nursing Notes Website, last year two in every five nurses admitted to missing meals in order to feed their families or save money.
It came on the back of the news in May this year that six NHS Trusts (not IW NHS Trust) have set up food banks or developed food voucher schemes to help staff cope with the cost of living crisis.
As we now enter winter and householders face every increasing energy bills, the dilemma of heat or eat will become another part of the equation.
IW might see some impact from strikes
Whilst IW NHS Trust nurses won’t be striking, the first phase of strike action will be two days that take place in other parts of the country on Thursday 15th December and Tuesday 20th December 2022.
Of course, there are many Islanders who work with neighbouring Trusts that did vote to strike, and are taking part in strike action.
These include:
- Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
- Solent NHS Trust – who provide services on the Island
See the RCN Website for more information.
Image: john cameron under CC BY 2.0
