Nurses plan summer strike action after rejecting latest pay deal
Posted 11 May 2023 - 09:59
RCN members in Wales have voted to reject the latest pay offer from the government, with four strike dates planned for June and July
Nurses in Wales will strike again in the coming months, after rejecting the government’s latest pay offer.
RCN Wales members who took part in the latest ballot from 24 April to 10 May voted 53.2% to 46.7% to reject the ‘best and final’ offer of 5% for 2023-24 and a series of one-off payments for 2022-23.
Four more strike dates planned for June and July
Nurses working for the NHS in Wales will now take strike action on 6 and 7 June and 12 and 13 July, unless a solution can be found, RCN Wales confirmed.
It will be the first time nurses in the country have walked out since December 2022, after months of negotiations between unions and the Welsh Government.
Strike action will run for the duration of day shifts and it is expected that fewer derogations could be in place compared with December’s action.
RCN calls for pay talks to reopen ‘immediately’
RCN Wales director Helen Whyley said: ‘We have heard our members loud and clear, and this latest decision only makes us more determined as a college to secure a meaningful and acceptable pay offer for the future of the profession.
‘Nursing staff always act in the interests of their patients, and they are the true ambassadors for our NHS. The government must act in their interest now, because protecting nursing protects the public.’
Ms Whyley added she had asked for pay talks to be reopened ‘immediately’.
Healthcare staff in Wales who are on Agenda for Change contracts have been offered a series of pay deals since the NHS Pay Review Body’s original recommendation of 4% last year. They were initially offer a revised 3% pay rise on top of the 4% on the table. Half of the 3% was a consolidated rise and the remaining 1.5% a one-off payment.
But RCN Wales members voted it down, prompting the government to reopen talks despite the majority of combined health union members in the NHS Wales Trade Union Group accepting the deal.
Welsh Government ‘disappointed’ by proposed strike action
After several weeks of negotiations, the Welsh Government offered a 5% consolidated increase for 2023-24, to take effect from April 2023.
It also offered a new one-off ‘NHS recovery payment’ averaging 3% for all healthcare staff, including bank staff, for 2022-23. For nurses at the top of band 5, this would mean a further £1,005.
Nurses’ professional development and a retention plan also formed part of the deal.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: ‘While we recognise the strength of feeling among members, we are disappointed by the ballot outcome. We are also disappointed by the announcement of further industrial action prior to hearing the outcome of other trade union ballots and agreeing a final collective position at the Wales Partnership Forum Business Committee.’
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