Tens of thousands of UK nurses strike for first time in over a century amid cost-of-living crisis

LONDON (AA) - Tens of thousands of nurses are staging a day of strikes across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland on Thursday over an ongoing dispute over pay as the cost-of-living crisis continues.

The strike, the first ever in their 106-year-long history, has started at 8 am (0800 GMT) and will continue until 8 pm. A second day of such action is planned for Dec. 20.

Nurses in urgent and emergency services will stay on duty, but they will be working in reduced numbers at many non-urgent services.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary, Pat Cullen, said the nurses did not want to strike but had to amid the highest inflation levels of the past 40 years.

"Nurses are not relishing this," she said.

"We are acting with a very heavy heart. It has been a difficult decision taken by hundreds of thousands who begin to remove their labour from tomorrow in a bid to be heard, recognized and valued," Cullen added.

"It is a tragic first for nursing, the RCN and the NHS. Nursing staff on picket lines is a sign of failure on the part of governments."

Health Minister Maria Caulfield said Thursday morning that it was "inevitable" that patients would suffer because of the nurses' strike.

Speaking to SkyNews, Caulfield said that's why "it is with regret that we see that the RCN are going out on action today."

She said: "We absolutely understand the issues around pay.

"But, the secretary of state did meet with the RCN earlier this week to talk about some of the other factors that make life very difficult for nurses on the front line."

The minister also said the government could not agree to a 19% pay raise demanded by nurses, adding that it was "unrealistic."

Britain has for months been in the midst of industrial action as rail workers, postal workers, paramedics, baggage handlers, and teachers strike over pay, with many workers feeling the squeeze of the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.