Can Student Nurses Strike?

In December 2022, nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland participated in strikes for the first time in history, demanding fair pay and improved patient safety.

With further industrial action set to take place in February, student nurses may be wondering whether they can participate and join their colleagues on the picket line.

Here, we explore why nurses are striking, when they are expected to strike and whether student nurses can strike among other FAQs. type: embedded-entry-inline id: 1ZENqEbo01tjMqnFb06wmS

Why are nurses striking?

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) made the historic decision to take strike action for the first time last year following years of real-terms pay cuts that they state have pushed people out of the nursing profession, leaving patient safety at risk.

RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen explained: "If we are trying to keep the brilliant nursing staff we’ve got, if we are trying to address the thousands and thousands of vacancies that we’ve got, and if we are trying to seriously stop the health service from falling over the precipice, then we have to do something about pay.

"I say with a heavy heart, but members have been left with no alternative. We have governments who are refusing to listen to the voice of nursing staff, which is the voice of the patient. As long as they continue to do that, nursing staff will take whatever action is available to make sure that patients are cared for."

What are striking nurses asking for?

The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, which rose by 9.3% in 2022.

Earlier in the year, the government offered nurses a pay rise of around 4% which the RCN described as a 'grave misstep', noting that it would 'push more nurses and nursing support workers out of the profession.'

They are also striking over what they have described as 'chronic understaffing' which puts patients at risk and leaves nursing staff overworked and underpaid.

“The main reason we’re doing this is that we go into our job to look after other people and we’re not doing that very well at the moment because of the lack of staffing, the lack of investment into nursing,” one London nurse told the Independent.

When do nurses go on strike?

Following initial strike action in December, nurses are due to strike again on Monday 6th February and Tuesday 7th February.

73 NHS trusts in England are expected to strike.

Other NHS strikes occurring throughout February include an ambulance strike, a physiotherapists strike and Blood and Transplant workers in the North West striking.

Can all nurses strike?

Nurses, midwives and nursing associates have the right to take part in strike action. The RCN has outlined that members of the union who are employed on Agenda for Change terms by an NHS employer with whom the RCN is in dispute can go on strike if they are scheduled to work on the day(s) of action.

Can student nurses strike?

While student nurses may just be starting off in their careers, they too are likely to be impacted by the issues facing nurses and nursing associates in the NHS.

A number of newly qualified nurses have shared candid videos via social media documenting their reasons for leaving the NHS, with one revealing on TikTok that she made the difficult decision to quit due to 'constant daily abuse and being understaffed every shift'.

While this may not reflect how all NQNs feel, student nurses may be keen to demand change and support their colleagues in requesting higher pay and better working conditions for patient safety.

Student nurses will be able to strike if:

• They are a student member or apprentice of the RCN

• They are directly employed by an NHS employer

• They are on Agenda for Change terms and conditions

To lawfully strike, student nurses must have commenced their employment with an NHS employer and they must have been rostered to work on a day that strike action has been called.

Student nurses on bank contracts may also be eligible to strike, but the contract must be an NHS employer on Agenda for Change terms and conditions.

If you're a third year student due to start employment with an NHS employer, you will also be able to participate in strike action if you are rostered to work on the day(s) of the action.

How will student nurses be impacted by strike action?

As a student nurse, you may be a little apprehensive about how your placement will be affected by ongoing strike action.

The RCN advises student nurses to reach out to their placement supervisor or university course leader if there are any concerns surrounding changes to placement and potential impact the strikes may have.

Government response to mass strikes

Nursing isn't the only sector to be taking part in strike action this winter, with hundreds of thousands of UK workers also staging mass walkouts.

On 1st February, teachers, university staff, rail workers, civil servants and some bus drivers participated in industrial action, with an estimated 500,000 workers in total across all sectors taking part. This marked the 'biggest day of strike action in a decade' according to the Trades Union Congress.

A number of correspondents and journalists have described this as the second 'Winter of Discontent'.

Thus far, the government has failed to resolve disputes and has instead attempted to crack down on strike action by recently putting a controversial anti-strike bill before parliament.

Business secretary Grant Shapps outlined government plans to ensure 'minimum safety levels' are maintained during industrial action taken in some public sector settings, arguing that granting 'inflation-busting pay deals' is 'not the sensible way to proceed'.

Responding to the proposed bill, deputy leader of the Labour party, Angela Raynor, described it as a 'sacking nurses' bill and an 'outright attack on the fundamental freedom of British working people'.

“We all want minimum standards of safety, service and staffing. It's the ministers failing to provide it," she argued.

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