Nurses threaten action over retirement at 65

Nurses today threatened industrial action over a new pension deal which could force them to work until the age of 65.

Delegates to the Royal College of Nursing annual congress sent a strong message to the next Government that they are prepared to act if they do not like the outcome of talks about NHS pension changes.

They voted in favour of possible action by 96 per cent, giving the proposer of the motion - Belinda Hodder, from Wales - a standing ovation. Only three per cent voted against.

The proposal to increase the retirement age from 60, contained in a national review, has proved deeply unpopular with NHS staff. Nurses want more flexibility because of the emotional and physicaldemands on them and say it is unfair to insist they work for five more years to achieve a full pension.

The Government's dual response to the problems of increasing life expectancy and the rising cost of public-sector pensions to the taxpayer was a bid to raise the pension age and move from payouts based on final salary to calculating "career average" pay.

Consultation on the proposals was due to finish this month with ministers expected to announce the results later in the year ready for implementation next April. When the election was called they said they would go back to the drawing-board. Consultation will restart with the new government.

Today's emergency resolution from the RCN calls on its council to impress upon ministers that they will not rule out industrial action if all other measures fail.

Ms Hodder said: "Sometimes we

have to do things we don't like to promote good care for patients and sometimes we have to do things we don't like to provide good working conditions for the nurses that care for those patients.

"We will not be soft-soaped regarding our patients. We have to stand together and be loud and proud. If we are pushed so far that we have to take action, we will take action."

This could include a work to rule and refusal to do unpaid overtime and paperwork.

Ms Hodder said that although passionate about her pension rights, she had no intention of walking out on patients.

But Josephine Mills, of the RCN's occupational health forum, told the congress that in 40 years as a nurse "my priority has been to care for patients". She added: "I have never and would never consider any form of industrial action. This motion has destroyed my faith in nursing."

London Ambulance Service members have also rejected the current pensions proposals.