NURSES at Warrington & Halton Hospitals NHS Trust will not be taking strike action, with less than 50 per cent of union members taking part in the ballot.
It comes as for the first time in history Royal College of Nursing (RCN) nurses from across the UK voted to strike over pay with action expected to start by the end of the year.
The strike action will involve Royal College of Nursing members in more than half of hospitals and community teams, but emergency care will still be staffed.
Nurses in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for action, while in Wales all but one health board did. But in England turnout was too low in nearly half of NHS trusts, including Warrington & Halton Hospitals, for strike action to take place.
It will be the first time UK-wide strike action is taken by RCN members in its 106-year history.
It comes after the government in England and Wales gave NHS staff an average of 4.75% rise this year – with the lowest paid getting more. The RCN, which represents about two-thirds of nurses in the NHS, has asked for 5% above the RPI rate of inflation, which stands at over 12%.
A spokesperson for Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “At least 50% of union members need to take part in a strike ballot for it to count.
“We have been informed by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) that the number of members who voted at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals was less than the 50% required to proceed.”
