NHS strikes called off after pay offer
Three unions representing NhS workers in Wales have suspended strike action after receiving a pay offer from the Welsh Government. The walkouts by staff in the royal College of Nursing (rCN) and GMB union had been due to go ahead on Monday, and by the royal College of Midwives (rCM) on Tuesday.
But the three unions have now called off their actions to allow the offer to be put to members.
A strike by physiotherapists has also been called off.
The offer is a 1.5% pay increase that will be repeated next year, and a oneoff payment of 1.5% of a worker’s salary. That is on top of the 4.5% pay rise already imposed.
The other union representing ambulance workers – Unite – has said that as things stand, it is continuing with its strike. General secretary Sharon Graham said: “It would be wholly premature for Unite to talk about any deals being done in relation to the Welsh Ambulance dispute. As far as Unite is concerned, negotiations are continuing. Unite will be available all weekend in the hope that a satisfactory offer can be put together to avert strikes next week.
“however, we are not in that place now. So, at the moment Unite’s ambulance workers will be on strike on Monday.”
rCN Wales director helen Whyley said: “Our strike action in December has clearly been effective as the Welsh Government has listened to the issues facing nursing in Wales and put forward an increased offer for nurses’ pay back-dated to April 2022 and thus avoided the strikes planned for next week.
“Industrial action continues to be a last resort for nurses, and I have heard
their stories of the personal sacrifice they make every day fighting for safe care for their patients that pushed them to vote for strike action.
“The pressure put on the Welsh Government by our members has been key to these negotiations moving forward.
“Our elected members have agreed that strike action next week should be cancelled and that we should put forward this offer to our members in Wales for them to decide whether it truly respects and values the nursing profession.
“The Health Minister should be under no illusion that we will not hesitate to return to strike action should the offer be rejected.”
The GMB union’s Welsh NHS lead Nathan Holman said: “After intense negotiations, GMB has agreed to suspend strike action while further talks take place.
“We recognise that the Welsh Government and Welsh Ambulance have made concessions and, through social partnership, we appreciate the frank and open dialogue with them over the last few months.
“This has only been made possible because the Welsh Government has been prepared to talk about pay – a lesson for those in charge on the other side of the Severn Bridge.”
Julie Richards, RCM director for Wales, said: “This has come about because of the determination of our members to make their voices heard and their readiness to take action. It brought the Welsh Government to the table and led to this offer.
“It is important that our members now have their say and the decision to accept or reject this offer lies with them.
“We are pausing this action in good faith so that other issues – such as pressures on staff and working conditions – can also be addressed.
“Make no mistake, though, we still have a very strong mandate for industrial action and will not hesitate to take it if our members reject the offer, or if planned talks do not move forward as promised.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Following continued discussions over the last week, we are pleased to announce that an enhanced pay offer has been made to our health trade unions.
“On this basis, we are hopeful that the planned industrial action over Monday and Tuesday, February 6 and 7, will be postponed, allowing trade unions to discuss the proposals further with their members. Individual trade unions will confirm their intentions regarding next week’s action, prior to further talks with their members.
“This revised pay offer comprises an additional 3%, of which 1.5% is consolidated so will be in pay packets year on year, on top of the Pay Review Body recommendations, which have already been implemented in full.
“This offer will be backdated to April 2022.
“Included in this revised package are a number of non-pay commitments to enhance staff wellbeing, on which negotiations will continue next week.
“Whilst there is currently no improved pay offer on the table for NHS staff in England, it was also agreed that any resulting Barnett consequential following any improved offer to staff in England would result in a further pay offer to staff in Wales.
“We would like to thank those that have participated in the negotiations for their positive engagement and goodwill.
“We are awaiting a formal response from each of the individual trade unions.”
Strike action had been announced after the Welsh Government said that most NHS staff would be receiving just a £1,400 pay increase – equivalent to a 7.5% increase for lower-paid staff in Bands 1-4 and a 4% increase in Bands 6-7.
Many employees saw this as an effective pay cut when compared to the current inflation rate of around 10.6%, and did not feel this was a fair reward for their important work.
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesman for health and care, said: “The Welsh Government U-turn on nurses’ pay is welcome, but long overdue.
“If only Welsh Government had listened to Plaid Cymru all along, then three months of industrial action could have been avoided.
“That’s three months where Welsh Government repeatedly told us there was no money, when we had worked out the sums and proved it was possible.
“I’m only sorry that it took repeated strike action from our brave workers for Welsh Government to take responsibility and step up to the challenge.
“Let’s not forget that there’s still a long way to go to make up for years of real-terms pay cuts.
“I would like to pay tribute to every health worker that has fought for this.”
Plaid leader Adam Price added: “This improved pay offer is a step in the right direction by the Welsh Government, which has repeatedly denied that it had any extra money.
“But a consolidated pay rise of 6% is well below inflation and below the Scottish Government’s pay offer.
“Yet again, after a decade of realterms cuts to their wages, NHS staff are being asked to accept a further fall in living standards.
“What we need from the Welsh Government instead is a long-term workforce plan with a real commitment to a real pay rise so we can begin to rebuild morale and end the crisis of recruitment and retention that risks overwhelming the entire NHS.”
Welsh
Health Minister Russell George MS said: “This only goes to show that the Labour government had the money all along to give NHS workers a better pay offer.
“It is also welcome to see staff welfare being included as part of this package, as we have called for, because we know that poor working conditions have hit morale really hard, with many reporting burnout.
“Hopefully, we will see an end to this dispute soon and Labour can get on with fixing the record long A&E and ambulance waiting-times that have occurred on their watch.”
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: “It’s a welcome development to see these strikes postponed and hopefully with continued negotiations they can be halted altogether, but we will have to await the outcome of further negotiations.
“We have always argued that our healthcare staff need to be valued, not just with moral support but making sure they are valued financially.
“This is especially important if we are to solve the retention and recruitment crisis in the NHS.
“However, 6% still sits below inflation and below the Scottish Government’s offer.
“No side will ever be 100% happy with the outcome in these negotiations, but it is important to try and reach a compromise.
“Looking towards the longer term, we need to see the UK Conservative Government recognise, when setting budgets, the additional financial pressures Wales has when it comes to healthcare, in particular the fact that Wales has an older and sicker population than other parts of the UK, in part due to the legacy of industrial activity.”
Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation Darren Hughes said: “NHS leaders will welcome the news of an enhanced pay offer from Welsh Government to health trade unions ahead of next week’s planned industrial action, at a time of extraordinary pressures on the service.
“We acknowledge how difficult things are for the Welsh and UK governments in the current economic climate but also for NHS frontline workers who give their all day in, day out to care for the people of Wales.
“We’re thankful all parties are working in social partnership and urge them to seize every opportunity to make strides forward in coming to a resolution, for the sake of staff and patients.”
Unison said it will be considering the new offer from the Welsh Government.
A spokesman said: “Unison was not due to strike in Wales on Monday. We don’t currently have a strike mandate.
“The ballot of Unison members is still ongoing until midway through this month.
“The union will be considering the offer, now that it has finally been announced, and we’ll be issuing a comment about that as soon as possible.”
GMB and RCN members in England will go ahead with their strikes on Monday, with the RCN saying the Prime Minister must now urgently negotiate with nurses in England after the Welsh Government joined Scotland in formally reopening the NHS pay award for the current financial year.
The RCN will escalate its strike action in England next week, with action at 73 NHS trusts compared to 44 in December and 55 in January.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: “If the other governments can negotiate and find more money for this year, the Prime Minister can do the same.
“Rishi Sunak has no place left to hide. His unwillingness to help nursing is being exposed as a personal choice, not an economic necessity.
“Again, we are making good on our commitment to cancel strikes when ministers negotiate and make pay offers to our members. First in Scotland and now in Wales too.
“If the Prime Minister decides to leave England’s nurses as the lowestpaid in the UK, he must expect this strike to continue.
“He can still turn things around before Monday – start talking seriously and the strikes are off.”