Proposed nurses pay award announced for Northern Ireland
Published: 22 April 2008
DHSSPS signs up to three year pay award for nurses
Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety Michael McGimpsey MLA has confirmed that the Northern Ireland Executive has endorsed the proposed three year pay package for all health and social care staff who fall within the scope of the Agenda for Change arrangements.
It will now be subject to consultation by members of all the trades unions covered by Agenda for Change. The proposed package incorporates the NHS Pay Review Body recommendation for 2008-2009 of 2.75%, a 2.4% headline award in 2009-2010 and 2.25% in 2010-2011. There will be additional changes to the pay structure in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 that would provide additional financial support for the lowest paid workers and facilitate more rapid pay progression up the pay ladder.
The Minister said: "This multi-year deal for local health and social care services recognises the dedication and professionalism of our workforce".
Responding to the Minister’s announcement, RCN Northern Ireland Director Mary Hinds said: "We are pleased that the Minister has endorsed the proposal to implement a three year pay package for nurses and other health care staff. Pay and conditions are essential to the recruitment and retention of skilled staff and they must be rewarded appropriately.
"We have always said that we would only consider signing up to a three-year pay deal if it was fair and offered nurses protection against future rises in inflation. The RCN believes that this deal can allow nurses to focus on what matters most – delivering high quality patient care, safe in the knowledge that they have some degree of security over their household finances in the coming years.
"An important part of the package is to ensure nurses are protected against future price rises so we are delighted to have won a commitment to re-open pay talks should inflation rise sharply or if there are significant changes to the labour market. This process will be overseen by the independent pay review body.
"We will now be consulting our members across Northern Ireland for their views on this proposed agreement and ultimately it will be up to them to make the decision on whether to accept the deal."