SBP editorial: The nurses’ pay claim is difficult to justify

They constitute a third of all health employees in the health service, and they are often the human face of a system in which patients – many seriously ill or dying – are at their lowest ebb and vulnerable.

Their work is of the most vital kind. In such a context, it is a highly unpopular position to suggest that they are not due a pay rise at this time.

However, there are ...