Nurses in Wales to join 'summer of protest activity'

Some nurses in Wales are expected to join what the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has described as a "summer of protest activity" over pay.

Its members will also be balloted on industrial action unless the next UK government scraps a 1% pay-rise cap.

The Welsh Government, which sets pay for nurses in Wales, said the NHS Pay Review Body had recommended a 1% pay rise after looking at expert evidence.

The lowest earners will receiving a rise to the Living Wage, it added.

The RCN said a consultative ballot of its members in April showed a majority (78%) were prepared to go on strike, while 91% said they would support industrial action short of a strike.

About 52,000 of the 270,000 RCN members eligible to vote took part.

The union said the 1% cap on pay rises had left nursing staff with a 14% real terms pay cut since 2010 and it would launch a ballot on industrial action this year unless it was lifted.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: "We are proud of our nurses and we work to support them in Wales."

He said it offered NHS bursaries for eligible student nurses and supported professional development.