My partner has to support me to do the job I want to do

NURSES ON PICKET LINE EXPLAIN WHY THEY DECIDED TO STRIKE

- SOPHIE HALLE-RICHARDS

SARAH Frances has worked as a nurse at The Christie hospital in south Manchester for over a decade. It's a job she's always loved.

But as the cost of living soars, and her pay fails to keep up, by the time she's paid for childcare, the mum says she is left with very little spare cash at the end of the month.

Fortunately, her partner's income is able to support them both, so she can continue doing the job she's always wanted. She says it shouldn't be like this.

As a Band 5 nurse, Sarah earns just under an £18 an hour - that's despite having worked for the NHS for more than 10 years. She says she has often considered changing to a job with better pay, or more sociable hours.

She is one of many nurses across the country who took part in industrial action yesterday. The latest round of strikes coordinated by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union began at 8pm on Sunday and finished at midnight last night.

Waving placards demanding 'fair pay for nursing staff, Sarah joined a picket line outside The Christie on Wilmslow Road this morning-along with dozens of her colleagues.

As they stood chanting 'what do we want? Fair pay' and 'when do we want it? Now, they were supported by onlookers who beeped their car horns or shouted messages of encouragement from across the road.

The RCN announced the latest 28-hour strike after voting to reject the latest government offer of 5 per cent. The union says the real-terms pay cut their members have been experiencing for years is pushing people out of the nursing profession and putting patient safety at risk.