Nurses call on politicians to make pay a priority
Published: 18 May 2007
Nurses call on politicians to make pay a priority RCN Wales today called on all parties negotiating their part in a future Welsh Assembly Government to make nurses pay a priority.
The union and professional body which represents over 22,700 nurses and healthcare support workers in Wales has called on the party leaders to implement the recommended pay increase of 2.5 per cent effective from 1 April in full, rejecting the staging proposed by Westminster. Such a step would mirror that already taken by the Scottish Executive.
Two months ago, the outgoing Welsh Assembly Government indicated that it would ignore the recommendation of the Pay Review Body that sets nurses’ pay and instead follow the lead of the UK Government and stage the already below inflation pay award. The effect of the staged award equates to a rise of just 1.9%.
In an historic move earlier this week the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) governing council has voted to ballot its members on industrial action following the refusal of the government to give nurses their 2.5 percent pay award in full, disregarding the recommendations of the Independent Pay Review Body. The RCN will now consult with its members who work in the NHS to ask them whether they would be prepared to support a ballot for industrial action. Under RCN rules, nurses are only permitted to take industrial action that is not harmful to patient care.
One form of industrial action that may be considered is for nurses to stop working unpaid overtime, a move that would have serious financial consequences for the NHS. Over 16,000 nurses in Wales work an average of more than six hours unpaid overtime a week. Losing this unpaid overtime cost the NHS in Wales around £1.2 million a week.
At the time of the Assembly Election, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats pledged their overwhelming support for nurses’ pay in Wales. The parties acknowledged that many believe the staged pay award to be demoralising and unfair. The Royal College of Nursing is asking for all political parties in Wales to unite to ensure that our nurses receive a fair deal.
Tina Donnelly, Director, said “Pay levels are fundamental to the ability of our health service to recruit and retain the skilled nurses needed to deliver quality patient care.
“This week the RCN decided to ballot its membership on Industrial Action because nurses feel devalued and disenfranchised and completely ignored by the government. The government slapped nurses on the back and said it applauded the work that we have done implementing reforms, then slaps nurses in the face with the pay award. We expect the new Welsh Assembly Government to follow Scotland’s lead and implement the nurses pay award effective from 01 April 07.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
• The staged pay award for nurses gives nurses a 1.5% increase in April 2007, with a further 1% in November 2007.
• Nurses earn 20% less than primary teachers and 24% less than secondary teachers.
• 68% of nurses have to undertake temporary work to supplement their income
• Work to rule will cost £1.3 million a week in Wales? How did the RCN arrive at this figure?
o There are 43,215 NHS nurses (Statistics Wales 2005)
o 16,422 of these nurses work 6 hours pw unpaid o/t (RCN Annual Employment Survey 2005)
o Therefore the total number of unpaid o/t hours worked pw in the NHS is 98,530 pw (i.e. 16422 nurses x 6 hours)
o The average hourly rate of a NHS nurse is £12.74 (RCN Labour Force Survey 2006)
o Therefore the total value of nurses' unpaid o/t pw (i.e. goodwill) in the NHS is £1,255,275 pw (i.e. 98530 hours pw x £12.74 hourly rate)
o The estimated difference (i.e. "cost" for the government) between staging the nurses' pay deal and awarding the unstaged deal recommended by the pay review body is £3.5 million
o Conclusion - if nurses stopped working unpaid o/t then the NHS would have to pay bank staff to work it. This would cost them just over £1.2 million pw, which means that in three weeks, the NHS would have spent as much on paying bank nurses to work o/t as it would have cost to pay nurses who work o/t for free and implement the unstaged pay deal recommended by the pay review body
• Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations
For further information please call the RCN Wales Press Office on 029 2075 1373