Here’s what the government can do to end the nurses’ strike

Nursing unions differ on the pay offer and Rishi Sunak should take the opportunity to end the dispute, says Sean O’Grady

Royal College of Nursing boss Pat Cullen (bottom row, centre) joins RCN members on the picket line outside University College Hospital, London, in January (PA)

Nurses are set to strike for 48 hours later this month, after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) rejected the government’s pay offer for NHS staff, while Unison, the largest health union, decided to accept it. Unite and GMB are still balloting their members. Meanwhile, junior doctors, represented by the British Medical Association, are continuing with industrial action.

What will the government do now?

In short, nothing. Conservative party chairman Greg Hands and health secretary Steve Barclay have said any government initiative will have to await the outcome of the Unite and GMB ballots, which close on 28 April, and the meeting of the NHS Staff Council on 2 May. The council has responsibility for the Agenda for Change pay system, and has representatives from both employers and trade unions. After that, ministers have these options: