Industrial action – one nurse’s perspective

As the RCN prepares to ballot members on industrial strike action, we talk to one nurse from Northern Ireland who knows exactly how it feels to join a picket line. In 2019, Edna Grant took part in the first ever strike by RCN members which resulted in pay parity and a commitment to safe staffing legislation for the nursing profession in Northern Ireland. Edna shares how she made the decision to go on strike, how derogation worked and how patient safety remained paramount. She also offers insight into how she feels now, with industrial action once again on the horizon. “I think what we learned was, in order to bring about change, we have to be that voice, and we have to be united. There is strength in numbers, we know that.” “We had a plan, we could prioritise our patients, we could ensure that there was somebody out there while bringing the rest of the girls to the picket line, which is where they wanted to be and what they had voted to do.” “There was just a constant flow of food or warm drinks of people, cars driving past…people stopping and coming out to speak to us or tooting the horn on the way past, it was absolutely unbelievable. To see the amount of support that the public gave us on the picket lines... they knew what we were trying to do was to benefit them." Nursing Matters is presented by PNC chair Rachel Hollis and PNC committee members. Tell us what YOU want us to discuss on the podcast by tweeting @theRCN with the tag #NursingMatters Presented by Rachel Hollis. Audio production by Alex Rees. Producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Music: 'Snappy’ by Jonathan Boyle under licence from premiumbeat.com. Nursing Matters is a Podmasters Production for the RCN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices