Nurses strike: Royal College of Nursing calls off strike action after vote ‘too low’ to count

The strike action of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will not continue after the union’s ballot of its members in England failed to achieve a mandate, meaning the numbers taking part in the vote were too low for it to count despite the majority of members voting to continue to take industrial action.

According to the BBC, just over 43% took part in the ballot, below the 50% threshold required. The RCN balloted its members after the previous six-month mandate for strike action had expired. This comes after the health staff rejected the government’s pay deal of 5% rise and a lump sum of at least £1,655.