3 Time to care for the Pay Review Body
Resolution submitted by the RCN Doncaster Branch
That this meeting of RCN Congress requests RCN Council to act to protect and maintain the NHS Pay Review Body
Work led by the RCN Membership Representation and Diversity Committee.
The NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) received a ringing endorsement from Congress, with over 99 per cent voting to urge RCN Council to act to protect and maintain it. Contributors to the debate were concerned about the unfair pressure put on the PRB by politicians in the 2007 pay round, when the NHS pay award was staged for the first time since 1998. Contributors also expressed a wish that a strong, enduring and independent PBR should remain part of the NHS pay system, notwithstanding the three year pay deal.
This resolution was effectively incorporated in the final agreement on the three year deal, which explicitly stated the role of the PRB:
"The NHS PRB will continue to gather evidence throughout the period of this agreement. In the event that the NHS PRB receive and identify new evidence of a significant and material change in recruitment and retention and wider economic and labour market conditions, they may request a remit from the Secretary of State to review the increases set out in this agreement for 2009/10 and/or 2010/11."
The remit of the PRB will be amended to reflect this.