"Honk 4 Nurses"

Tuesday 17 September 2019

Town was alive with the sound of car horns this morning, as commuters were asked to honk in support of the Royal College of Nursing, as they gear up for a protest march in Saturday.

The group have been gathering support ahead of their planned demonstration in their ongoing pay and conditions dispute.

For the last month, the RCN have been picketing road-sides around the island to raise awareness of their cause, holding signs asking drivers to honk in support of them.

Nurses in Guernsey are demanding equal pay, and fairer working environments. 

The RCN, one of the country's biggest nursing unions, has been backing the local industry in ongoing talks with Policy & Resources, the purse-string holders for the States. But those talks have ground to a halt a number of times, ahead of the most recent protest, where a huge group of nurses gathered outside Sir Charles Frossard House to hand over a petition with around 4,500 signatures on it. 

Today, a group were stood on the Crown Pier holding their placards, and found themselves inundated with the support of St Peter Port commuters. 

Pictured: Cars were sounding their horns in support of the nurses fighting for equal pay, with Kenny Lloyd, first from right. 

Kenny Lloyd, an RCN Convenor in Guernsey, said they would love to see the level of support they have been getting from drivers at their protest march on Saturday. They will be starting from Salerie Corner, and marching through Town.

The day before, Friday, they will be holding their last 'honk for nurses' protest outside Frossard House after work.

Mr Lloyd said this was all about getting a more robust healthcare system for Guernsey - one which could attract and retain good staff, and also pay them fairly while they work.

Speaking to Express previously, he said: ""We need to get back around the table and start to work through the impasse we are at because of the inequality nurses are facing at the moment. It is blatant discrimination - we have given them solid evidence of a five to 15 thousand pound pay disparity, and something has to be done about it."  

Pictured top: The nurses with their placards on Crown Pier this morning.