UK nurses vote on strikes as cost-of-living squeeze worsens

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s biggest nurses’ union is asking its 300,000 members whether they want to go on strike in a dispute over pay. Members of the Royal College of Nursing are voting through Nov. 2 on whether to stage the biggest strike in the organization’s 106-year history. The potential for a strike by nurses follows walkouts by railway staff, lawyers and others seeking pay increases to keep up with inflation. It’s currently at a 40-year high of almost 10% as the war in Ukraine drives up energy prices. The U.K.’s electricity system operator warned Thursday of potential winter blackouts, providing more evidence of the U.K.’s worsening energy and cost-of-living squeeze.