Nurses could carry out more strikes if the Government does not invest in the profession, the head of the nursing union has warned ahead of the Budget.
Professor Nicola Ranger, who took over as general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) earlier this year, told the Financial Times nurses had “had enough” on pay.
She said: “We are not strike hungry but there is only a limited time that our members will be willing to wait to see that this Government is serious about valuing nursing.”
RCN members voted to reject the Government’s offer of a 5.5% pay increase last month, two years after they went on strike over pay for the first time in the NHS’s 74-year history.
The union has pointed to years of below-inflation pay awards that have left nurses earning significantly less in real terms than they did in 2010.
The rejection of the pay offer did not stop the rise being implemented in October, but could pave the way for another strike ballot.
Prof Ranger said: “The vote signalled that nurses are no longer going to be passive. They have had enough.
“They can see patients are suffering under the current state of nursing.”
She argued that nurses should be treated in the same way as infrastructure, which is in line for significant investment on Wednesday as the Chancellor changes the Government’s debt rules to allow greater capital spending.
Prof Ranger said: “My progression is both safety critical and key to economic prosperity. There is no justification for leaving us depleted.
“Investment in us is as vital as investment in any major project.”
She said nurses should see their pay increased in line with paramedics and midwives, with their starting salary increased to £37,338 after graduation and completion of a preceptorship, a time-limited period of extra support for newly qualified nurses.
The starting salary for new nurses is currently just under £30,000.
Changes to debt rules are expected to free up £20 billion for investment in infrastructure projects, which the Government hopes will help secure greater economic growth.
The Government has acknowledged the NHS faces workforce shortages, but said it will take time to address the problem.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also insisted that the Government is on the side of nurses, pointing to this month’s above-inflation pay increase.
The NHS is also expected to receive billions of pounds in additional funding when the Chancellor announces her Budget on Wednesday to deliver on Labour’s promise to cut waiting lists.