Nurses in England stage new walk-out over pay

Nurses across England began two days of strikes over pay on Wednesday, threatening fresh disruption for patients in the creaking state-run health service, as new figures showed inflation still surging.

The walkout comes after nurses held their union’s first stoppage in more than a century last month, joining a wave of industrial action by UK public sector workers hit by a cost-of-living crisis driven by spiralling prices.

The latest annual inflation statistics, released early Wednesday, showed they remained close to historically record levels, with rates easing slightly in December to 10.5 percent, compared with 10.7 percent the previous month.

The main nursing union accuses the government of failing to negotiate seriously on improving their pay deal for the current year, which they say is crucial given the economic situation.

“We take strike action with a heavy heavy heart but a clear mind about what we want to achieve,” said nurse Anna Swift before joining a picket line in central London.

“It’s time to take some action to say we need better pay, we need better conditions,” she told Sky News. The latest walkout piles further pressure on the National Health Service (NHS) at a time of peak demand.