The RCN says the matter is now in politicians’ hands and governments.
Nursing staff in England and Wales have overwhelmingly aginst a recent 3% pay award.
A consultation of eligible RCN members in England showed that 91.7% of members said that the award is unacceptable, while in Wales the figure was slightly higher at 93.9%.
In one of the biggest turnouts in recent years, around 25% of eligible members voted in the union’s consultation.
The RCN says the matter is now in politicians’ hands and governments can avoid further escalation by taking action to pay nursing staff fairly.
In Northern Ireland, the Minister for Health said he has “accepted the pay review recommendations in full” but nursing staff in the country will have to wait until October to see if the additional funding requested from the Northern Ireland Executive will be made available.
In Scotland, RCN members continue to be in a trade dispute with the Scottish government and NHS Scotland employers after they rejected an offer which gave them an average 4% pay increase.
The news comes after figures revealed the 3% pay award would actually be a £547 real-terms pay cut for experienced frontline nurses due to a skyrocketing cost of living.
Nursing staff have made their voice heard.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “Just a week after Boris Johnson talked about ‘good wages’ for nursing staff, they are delivering a clear verdict on his NHS pay award.
“Today, we are placing the matter back in the hands of politicians and asking what they are going to do next. Ministers must avoid a further escalation of this situation. Faced with this result, they can signal they intend to listen and do the right thing.”
Graham Revie, Chair of the RCN Trade Union Committee, added; “RCN members have made their voice heard and ministers in Westminster and Cardiff must think again about how they are treating nursing staff.
“Members deserve to be paid fairly – nursing has earned it and our patients deserve it.
“Unsafe staffing levels hamper patient care. Fair pay is one major way of keeping people in work and attracting the next generation into our profession.
“The future of this campaign will always be determined by RCN members – this campaign is led by members like me in the interests of the whole profession.”
