LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — United Kingdom nurses on Tuesday stage a second unprecedented strike amid an increasingly acrimonious fight with the government for better wages and warnings that patient safety could be jeopardized.

Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are holding the latest one-day stoppage after walking out last Thursday for the first time in the union's 106-year history.

They are demanding an inflation-busting pay increase to make up for years of real-terms salary cuts, but the government insists recession-hit Britain cannot afford anything above a roughly 4 to 5 percent rise.

The striking nurses are just one of numerous UK public and private sector workers taking industrial action over pay and working conditions, as they grapple with a cost-of-living crisis worsened by decades-high inflation.

The UK consumer prices index is currently running at nearly 11 percent.

Ambulance workers, including paramedics and call handlers, are set to strike on Wednesday.

A second such walkout is scheduled for 28 December, while others, including postal, railway and Border Force staff are staging stoppages over the Christmas period.

'Macho' negotiation

The RCN has criticized Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government for refusing to discuss pay as part of stalled negotiations to end the dispute, and warned the strikes could be repeated in the coming months.

"The only reason we're entrenched is because we've got no one to talk to about what the issue is," the union's director in England, Patricia Marquis, told Times Radio on Monday.

"Sadly, if there is no resolution, then our members have taken a vote to take strike action and the mandate that lasts for six months."

The union has also accused Health Secretary Steve Barclay of adopting a "macho" negotiating style during brief meetings held recently.

"The RCN's demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from frontline services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic," Barclay said Monday.

He and other ministers have reiterated that they can only accept the recommendations of an independent pay review body.

The government-appointed body, comprised of economists and human resources experts, urged hiking healthcare sector pay at least £1,400 ($1,740) on top of a 3 percent increase last year.

But critics argue it is constrained by government-imposed budget limits and that its assessment, published in July, predates current higher inflation rates.