November 11: Tens of thousands of nurses in the United Kingdom will go on strike for the first time demanding better pay as the cost of living soars, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday.

According to the Gulf news portal said citing the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) that nurses at most of the state-run National Health Service (NHS) across the country have voted for the action.

The RCN, which has more than 300,000 members, said industrial action would begin before the end of the year, after the first vote on strike action in its 106-year-old history, Al Jazeera further reported.

“Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough,” Al Jazeera quoted RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen as saying.  “This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low.”

According to Al Jazeera, NHS nurses have seen their salaries drop by up to 20 percent in real terms over the last 10 years, leaving members struggling to feed their families and pay their bills, the RCN has said.

NHS reportedly said in September nurses were skipping meals to feed and clothe their children and were struggling to afford rising transport costs.

It may be noted that the Government of Nepal had signed a bilateral agreement with the UK in August with the aim of securing highly-paid jobs for Nepali youths in the UK, especially in the healthcare sector.

The MoU has pledged that the Nepali healthcare professional will receive equal rights, privileges, protections and dignity as health professionals from the UK, the state-owned national news agency of Nepal RSS reported.

According to the RSS, Nepali citizens aged between 20 and 45 years holding a valid Nepali passport can file application. The applicant should have an active professional license from the Nepal Nursing Council and at least two years of experience in a registered hospital in Nepal.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that the UK has seen a wave of industrial unrest this year across industries from railways to the law as pay fails to keep up with inflation, running at 10 percent, and surging energy costs.