By Q Radio News
The Royal College of Nursing is to ballot its members on possible strike action over Northern Ireland's staffing crisis.
There are nearly 3,000 unfilled NHS nursing posts here - with a similar level of vacancies estimated in nursing homes.
Pay for nursing staff in the province continues to fall behind England, Scotland and Wales.
Fiona Devlin, Chair of the RCN Northern Ireland Board told Q Radio:
“The decision taken today is unprecedented in the history of the RCN. Members of the RCN Northern Ireland Board have been left with no option but to ballot RCN members in Northern Ireland as a result of the total inaction to address the staffing crisis facing health care in Northern Ireland.
This situation is compounded by nurses in Northern Ireland being the lowest paid across the UK.”
RCN Northern Ireland Director Pat Cullen said: “No nurse in Northern Ireland wishes to take any form of industrial action.
However, as a profession, we are no longer prepared to tolerate the risk to patients, nurses and the people of Northern Ireland.
The RCN is putting immediate measures in place to make preparations to ballot members in the coming weeks.”
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