Nurses threaten strikes after pay offer deals a ‘bitter blow’
NHS nurses will hold a strike ballot after branding the Government’s pay offer as a “grave misstep”.
Pat Cullen of the Royal College of Nursing said the union’s elected council voted “immediately and unanimously” on Tuesday night to poll its 500,000 members.
A strike ballot of junior doctors could also be brought forward by the British Medical Association (BMA) after they were not included in the pay award.
More than one million NHS staff, including nurses, paramedics and midwives, will receive an uplift of at least £1,400 per annum. The lowest earners will be given a rise of 9.3 per cent.
The average basic pay for nurses will increase from about £35,600 to £37,000. Newly qualified nurses will see their wages rise by 5.5 per cent – from £25,655 last year to £27,055.
Ms Cullen told BBC Radio 4’s Today the increase “wouldn’t even get them a quarter tank of petrol to be able to go and see their patients. This is a grave misstep by ministers. With this low award, the Government is misjudging the mood of nursing staff and the public too.”
Emma Runswick, deputy chairman of the BMA council, said the pay award for NHS workers was a “bitter blow” and the union is considering “different actions we can take... that might well include industrial action”.
Separately, very senior NHS managers earning about £140,000 a year will be given a three per cent pay rise along with executive and senior managers on £126,000. It was previously suggested their salaries would be frozen.
Jon Restell, chief executive of Managers in Partnership, the union dedicated to managers in the NHS, said: “Very senior managers play a vital leadership role for the health service.”
He said they did not receive a pay rise last year and the salaries review body was “clearly concerned about retention and recruitment for this group”.
Teachers are also considering strike action after the Government said it planned to offer a below-inflation 5 per cent pay rise for most staff and a 9 per cent increase for new starters.