Derry nurses on strike in January 2020 over pay parity and safety in hospitals for patients and staff
It follows a similar move across the rest of the UK.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the “fight for fair pay continues”, with the decision taken at an emergency council meeting on Wednesday night.
It means nurses in Northern Ireland will join a national ballot, which is asking members on Agenda for Change contracts if they want to take strike action.
The action would involve a complete withdrawal of labour.
Nurses in the North of Ireland went on strike for the first time in its history in 2019.
But if RCN members support the move, it will be first time members of the union in England, Wales and Scotland have walked out.
Fiona Devlin, chairwoman of the RCN NI board, said “it was not an easy decision”.
“After years of underpayment and staff shortages, the fight for fair pay continues,” Ms Devlin said.
“Nursing staff in Northern Ireland do not even know if they will receive a pay award this year.
“However, we are acutely aware that the pay award for colleagues in England and Wales does nothing to help with the spiralling costs of living and will do nothing to recruit or retain more nursing staff.”
Ms Devlin said a below inflation pay award “does not recognise the skills and responsibility of the job” or “improve patient safety”.
Rising energy prices could push UK inflation as high as 18% in 2023, economic analysts have predicted.
RCN director in the North of Ireland, Rita Devlin, said: “It is quite unbelievable that three years after we took industrial action for the first time in the RCN’s history, that we’re asking members if they will take strike action again.”
While nurses in Scotland have already rejected a pay offer – in England and Wales members have been offered a below inflation pay award.
The RCN ballot on industrial action and strike action will take place by post from 15 September until 13 October.
According to the college, serious shortages of nursing staff are putting patient safety at risk daily.
In a statement is said governments across the UK have failed to take action on the issue and that in Northern Ireland, with no functioning executive to appeal to nurses have yet to receive a pay offer.
Nurses join strike action in Derry over pay parity in December 2019
“We took strike action before primarily due to safe staffing and the impact of low pay on retention of nursing staff.
“We’re now in a worse position than ever with unsafe staffing levels and a range of other issues including the high number of nursing staff who are leaving the profession.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been left with no other choice than to ask our members to vote on industrial action.”
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