In an unprecedented move, the RCN has already announced that an industrial action strike ballot across England, Wales and Scotland will open on 15 September to ask members if they’re prepared to take strike action over low pay.
This follows the announcement of a below inflation pay award in England and Wales. Members in Scotland have already rejected a pay offer and nursing staff in Northern Ireland have yet to receive a formal pay offer for 2022/23 due to the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive.
Following a vote by the RCN Northern Ireland Board and Trade Union Committee, RCN Council agreed at an emergency meeting yesterday evening that members in Northern Ireland will also join the ballot, which will ask RCN members working for the NHS/ HSC on Agenda for Change contracts if they will take strike action. The College has called for a fully funded pay rise for nursing staff of 5% above inflation, which is currently around 11.8%.
If members support strike action, it will be the first ever strike by the RCN in England, Wales and Scotland. Members in Northern Ireland took strike action for the first time in 2019/20 over pay parity and safe staffing levels.
Fiona Devlin, Chair of the RCN Northern Ireland Board said: "After years of underpayment and staff shortages, the fight for fair pay continues.
“Nursing staff in Northern Ireland do not even know if they will receive a pay award this year. However, we are acutely aware that the pay award for colleagues in England and Wales does nothing to help with the spiralling costs of living and will do nothing to recruit or retain more nursing staff.
“A below inflation pay award does not recognise the skills and responsibility of the job we do and, more importantly, will not improve patient safety. We are appealing to members to vote for change – enough is enough.”
Rita Devlin, Director of the RCN in Northern Ireland said: “It is quite unbelievable that three years after we took industrial action for the first time in the RCN’s history, that we’re asking members if they will take strike action again. This has not been an easy decision.
“Serious shortages of nursing staff are putting patient safety at risk every single day. Governments across the UK have failed to take action on this issue and in Northern Ireland, with no functioning Northern Ireland Executive to appeal to, nursing staff have not received a pay offer at all.
“This situation has become intolerable. We took strike action before primarily due to safe staffing and the impact of low pay on retention of nursing staff. We’re now in a worse position than ever with unsafe staffing levels and a range of other issues including the high number of nursing staff who are leaving the profession. Unfortunately, we’ve been left with no other choice than to ask our members to vote on industrial action.”
Eligible members will receive their ballot in the post from 15 September and will have four weeks to respond, with the vote closing on 13 October. We need you to urgently check that we have your up-to-date home address, employer details and job category so that every eligible member receives their postal ballot.
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RCN Council, made up of elected members, has increased our strike fund to £50 million (up from £35 million) to provide some financial support to members who lose earnings during any industrial action. Industrial action is a last resort, but the current NHS/ HSC staffing crisis is causing unacceptable risk to patients and nursing staff.
Find out how you can help promote our fight for fair nursing pay.
