British Nurses to Hold Largest Strike in 106 Years Next Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] British nurses are set to go on a large-scale strike for the first time in history.

According to AFP and other foreign media on the 25th (local time), the British nurses' union announced that it had previously rejected the government's negotiation proposal and plans to strike on the 15th and 20th of next month in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This is the first nationwide strike in the 106-year history of the union.

The nurses are demanding improvements in wage issues. The union claims that the real wages of nurses remain 20% lower than in 2010 due to pay raises that fall short of inflation.

However, the government states that accepting these demands would require a wage increase rate of 19.2%, costing ?10 billion annually (approximately 16 trillion KRW), making it difficult to accept.

The annual salary of nurses in England, who make up the largest proportion at 42% according to the National Health Service (NHS) standards, ranges from ?27,055 (about 43 million KRW) to ?32,934 (about 53 million KRW).

AFP reported that, especially due to the recent soaring prices, there are increasing cases of nurses visiting free meal centers with their families or choosing other jobs instead of nursing.

Concerns are growing that the large-scale strike by nurses will trigger a crisis in the UK health service this winter. Experts explain that there are already 7.1 million patients waiting for treatment in the UK, and even cancer patients are unable to receive early treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.