<p>UK nurses on Thursday staged an unprecedented one-day strike in a fight for better wages and working conditions, despite warnings patients could be put at risk.</p>.<p>Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland stopped work from 0800 to 2000 GMT after rejecting a pay deal.</p>.<p>The RCN's industrial action -- the first in its 106-year history -- is part of a surging wave of stoppages by public and private sector employees across the UK as spiralling inflation outstrips wages growth.</p>.<p>Outside St Thomas' Hospital in central London, nurses on picket lines chanted slogans and held aloft placards urging "Pay us our worth" and "It's time to pay nursing staff fairly".</p>.<p>They were joined by England's chief nursing officer Ruth May, according to The Times.</p>.<p>"This group don't want to be here, they want to be in there," psychiatric nurse Geoff Brennan told AFP, pointing at the hospital.</p>.<p>"But we've got no choice. If we continue to just sit in there and endure the conditions that are going on, there (the hospital) won't exist any more."</p>.<p>Nurse Rebecca Cosgrave said salaries have been depreciating over the last decade or so, forcing some to use food banks.</p>.<p>"It's really a terrible state for anyone, not just nurses to be quite frank, (that) are having to use food banks," she said.</p>.<p>Union leaders said nurses were overworked due to staff shortages, as the state-run National Health Service (NHS) battles a growing backlog for appointments and treatment worsened by the pandemic.</p>.<p>RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said it was a "tragic day" for nurses, patients and the NHS that they had to take such action.</p>.<p>She added there were currently 50,000 vacant nursing posts and more needed to be done to stop staff leaving for better-paid jobs in supermarkets and retail.</p>.<p>"It's up to the government. They have a responsibility to address those vacant nursing posts and stop the drain out of our profession," said Cullen.</p>.<p>"They need to do that by paying nurses a decent wage."</p>.<p>On the picket line in London, ophthalmologic nurse Ian Henderson said attracting new nurses was increasingly difficult.</p>.<p>"People don't want to come into nursing anymore. I think it's important that we make a stand and say, there's a problem here," he told AFP.</p>.<p>The RCN wants a pay rise significantly above inflation, which surged to a 41-year high of 11.1 percent in October, falling slightly to 10.7 percent last month.</p>.<p>Cullen said that would redress an effective 20-percent wage cut for nurses in real terms over the last decade.</p>.<p>The government maintains the demands are unaffordable and Health Secretary Steve Barclay called the strikes "deeply regrettable".</p>.<p>Barclay insisted he was open to talks on wider issues but not on the pay offer, which was recommended by an independent review body.</p>.<p>The NHS Pay Review Body recommended a pay rise of at least £1,400 ($1,740) on top of a 3.0 percent increase last year, he said.</p>.<p>"Further pay increases would mean taking money away from frontline services at a time when we are tackling record waiting lists as a result of the pandemic," he added.</p>.<p>The RCN has said chemotherapy, dialysis, intensive care and high-dependency units, as well as neonatal and paediatric intensive care will be protected.</p>.<p>But other services will be reduced to Christmas staffing levels during the walk-out.</p>.<p>Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said NHS trusts were "pulling out all the stops" to lessen the impact on patients.</p>.<p>"The picture will vary across the country as (hospital) trust leaders work out service levels with unions locally," she added.</p>.<p>Health minister Maria Caulfield said some 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries will be lost in England due to the walk-out, with thousands more elsewhere.</p>.<p>Caulfield -- a qualified nurse and RCN member -- accepted pay was an issue but told Times Radio it was "smaller" compared to others such as long working hours.</p>.<p>The main opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer called the strike a "badge of shame" for the ruling Conservative government.</p>.<p>Another walk-out is due next Tuesday.</p>
<p>UK nurses on Thursday staged an unprecedented one-day strike in a fight for better wages and working conditions, despite warnings patients could be put at risk.</p>.<p>Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland stopped work from 0800 to 2000 GMT after rejecting a pay deal.</p>.<p>The RCN's industrial action -- the first in its 106-year history -- is part of a surging wave of stoppages by public and private sector employees across the UK as spiralling inflation outstrips wages growth.</p>.<p>Outside St Thomas' Hospital in central London, nurses on picket lines chanted slogans and held aloft placards urging "Pay us our worth" and "It's time to pay nursing staff fairly".</p>.<p>They were joined by England's chief nursing officer Ruth May, according to The Times.</p>.<p>"This group don't want to be here, they want to be in there," psychiatric nurse Geoff Brennan told AFP, pointing at the hospital.</p>.<p>"But we've got no choice. If we continue to just sit in there and endure the conditions that are going on, there (the hospital) won't exist any more."</p>.<p>Nurse Rebecca Cosgrave said salaries have been depreciating over the last decade or so, forcing some to use food banks.</p>.<p>"It's really a terrible state for anyone, not just nurses to be quite frank, (that) are having to use food banks," she said.</p>.<p>Union leaders said nurses were overworked due to staff shortages, as the state-run National Health Service (NHS) battles a growing backlog for appointments and treatment worsened by the pandemic.</p>.<p>RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said it was a "tragic day" for nurses, patients and the NHS that they had to take such action.</p>.<p>She added there were currently 50,000 vacant nursing posts and more needed to be done to stop staff leaving for better-paid jobs in supermarkets and retail.</p>.<p>"It's up to the government. They have a responsibility to address those vacant nursing posts and stop the drain out of our profession," said Cullen.</p>.<p>"They need to do that by paying nurses a decent wage."</p>.<p>On the picket line in London, ophthalmologic nurse Ian Henderson said attracting new nurses was increasingly difficult.</p>.<p>"People don't want to come into nursing anymore. I think it's important that we make a stand and say, there's a problem here," he told AFP.</p>.<p>The RCN wants a pay rise significantly above inflation, which surged to a 41-year high of 11.1 percent in October, falling slightly to 10.7 percent last month.</p>.<p>Cullen said that would redress an effective 20-percent wage cut for nurses in real terms over the last decade.</p>.<p>The government maintains the demands are unaffordable and Health Secretary Steve Barclay called the strikes "deeply regrettable".</p>.<p>Barclay insisted he was open to talks on wider issues but not on the pay offer, which was recommended by an independent review body.</p>.<p>The NHS Pay Review Body recommended a pay rise of at least £1,400 ($1,740) on top of a 3.0 percent increase last year, he said.</p>.<p>"Further pay increases would mean taking money away from frontline services at a time when we are tackling record waiting lists as a result of the pandemic," he added.</p>.<p>The RCN has said chemotherapy, dialysis, intensive care and high-dependency units, as well as neonatal and paediatric intensive care will be protected.</p>.<p>But other services will be reduced to Christmas staffing levels during the walk-out.</p>.<p>Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said NHS trusts were "pulling out all the stops" to lessen the impact on patients.</p>.<p>"The picture will vary across the country as (hospital) trust leaders work out service levels with unions locally," she added.</p>.<p>Health minister Maria Caulfield said some 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries will be lost in England due to the walk-out, with thousands more elsewhere.</p>.<p>Caulfield -- a qualified nurse and RCN member -- accepted pay was an issue but told Times Radio it was "smaller" compared to others such as long working hours.</p>.<p>The main opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer called the strike a "badge of shame" for the ruling Conservative government.</p>.<p>Another walk-out is due next Tuesday.</p>