Strike action is about a liveable wage for NHS nurses and carers – Hutchinson

Spokesperson Harry Hutchinson joined striking nurses on the picket line outside Mid Ulster Hospital in Magherafelt on Thursday.He said in a statement: "NHS staff are on strike for a 19 per cent increase and to highlight concerns about "chronically low levels of staffing.""On pay, the government say its unaffordable; yet pay private agency nurses twice the amount an NHS nurse is paid. Effectively pouring money into the private sector from the state sector."The less staff available in the NHS the more private agencies fill the gap. It is a deliberate strategy by the government and their Corporate backers not to recruit nurses et cetera to the NHS."Many nurses and carers are forced to leave the NHS and join private agencies, to receive better pay. The issue in the Health strike is the government/ Corporate privatisation agenda."The strike is for a liveable wage for NHS nurses and carers and to save the NHS from further erosion."Thousands of nurses were on strike across Northern Ireland on Thursday - joining colleagues in England and Wales in a protest about pay and working conditions.A number of non-emergency care services were disrupted and outpatient appointments postponed. However, emergency care was still provided.It is only the second time in the history of the Royal College of Nursing that members in Northern Ireland are taking strike action.Further strike action is expected to take place on Tuesday, December 20.