UK Midwives' Union Members Vote to Strike Over Pay Dispute

More than 80 percent of the 10,536 ballots cast were in favor of a strike, and more than 90 percent supported industrial action short of a strike, the Royal College of Midwives announced Sept. 29.

  • Sep 29, 2014

Members of the Royal College of Midwives voted strongly in favor of a strike, or an industrial action short of a strike, in a pay dispute with the British government. RCM is a trade union, the only one in Britain led by midwives for midwives and those that support them, and the vast majority of the midwifery profession are members.

The ballot asked two questions, and RCM posted the results on its website:

Question One: Are you prepared to take part in a strike?

  • Number of votes cast: 10,536
  • Number of individuals answering yes: 8,464 (82.2%)
  • Number of individuals answering no: 1,827 (17.8%)
  • Number of spoiled voting papers: 245

Question Two: Are you prepared to take part in action short of a strike?

  • Number of votes cast: 10,536
  • Number of individuals answering yes: 9,466 (94.6%)
  • Number of individuals answering no: 542 (5.4%)
  • Number of spoiled voting papers: 528

This vote is the first time RCM's leadership has asked its members to approve an industrial action. Its chief executive officer, Cathy Warwick, met with the RCM board on Sept. 29 and agreed to commence an industrial action on Monday, Oct. 13.

Details of the dispute and additional information are available here.

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