Below-inflation pay rise for NHS staff is criticised
NHS staff in Wales are set to be given a below-inflation pay rise in the next financial year, it has been announced.
The Welsh Government has confirmed that employees will receive a 1% pay award from April 1 for 2017-18.
But unions in Wales have criticised the increase which it claims does not reflect the workforce’s efforts at a time of unprecedented demand.
Unison Cymru/Wales head of health Donna Hutton said: “The decision to cap pay rises at 1% has left a bitter taste in the mouths of NHS Wales staff.
“After endless pay freezes and wage caps they feel taken for granted. They give their all helping those in need in very trying circumstances and this award shows how poorly they are thought of.”
Peter Meredith-Smith, associate director (employment relations) for the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, said: “We are disappointed to see that NHS staff in Wales, who are bearing the brunt of relentless frontline pressures, have yet again been awarded a pay rise that is below inflation. This means the significant and continuous erosion of the wages of NHS staff and our members that has occurred over several years persists, with pay restraints being increasingly strained since 2010.
“An increase such as this does not match the dedication and hard work that our NHS workforce provides.”
But the organisations did welcome a move by the Welsh Government to boost the pay of the lowest earners to the Living Wage. More than 7,000 of the lowest-paid employees will see an uplift to £8.45 an hour.
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething accepted recommendations on pay by both the NHS Pay Review Body and the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.
Mr Meredith-Smith added: “We commend the Welsh Government for honouring the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body, so reaffirming its continuing commitment to the Pay Review Body, Agenda for Change and a unified pay structure for the NHS across the UK.
“As well as this, we welcome their announcement of continuing support for the lowest paid staff within NHS Wales by its decision to uplift the rate of pay to that of the living wage.
“While the NHS Pay Review Body provides independent advice to UK Governments on over-arching pay rates, in Wales there are other mechanisms through which NHS Wales pay and terms and conditions can be agreed in partnership.
“One such mechanism is the Strategic Pay Sub Group of the Welsh Partnership Forum. The RCN in Wales looks forward to engaging in the work of that group to protect and improve terms and conditions of dedicated and hard-working NHS staff across Wales.”
Mr Gething said: “I remain committed to tackling the issue of low pay in Wales and will ensure the lowest earners in NHS Wales are paid a fair salary, as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation. I am therefore implementing the uplift to the Living Wage – to £8.45 an hour – for all directly employed NHS staff from April 1.
“I am pleased I am able to award pay increases in line with the independent pay review bodies’ pay recommendations and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to staff in the NHS in Wales. I am also committed to working in Social Partnership with employers and those representing NHS staff to consider the way forward on the other issues the pay review bodies raised.”