Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) employed by the Care Plus Group (CPG) are preparing for a further five days of industrial strike action next week.
Reluctantly, RCN members stepped up their action last month, December 2023 in support of their continuing campaign for better pay and pay parity with nursing staff employed by the NHS.
RCN members employed by CPG will be taking strike action from 7.00am on Monday 8 January to 8.00am on Saturday 13 January 2024 (inclusive).
Peta Clark, Operational Manager for the RCN in Yorkshire and the Humber, said:
“Yet again, nursing staff employed by CPG are being forced to take strike action in support of their campaign for fair pay.
“CPG can’t go on ignoring the facts. Some of their staff receive £5,000 a year less than their NHS counterparts, whilst their terms and conditions are not comparable either.
“Nursing staff at CPG are hard-working, committed professionals providing, skilled, personalised, and compassionate care just like their NHS counterparts. They deliver NHS services locally to help to ease the burden on our already overstretched hospitals and don’t deserve to be financially worse off because of where they work.
“Increasingly they are voting with their feet and seeking nursing jobs elsewhere or leaving nursing all together. With its aging population, North Lincolnshire and Grimsby cannot afford to lose its valuable community and social care nurses.”
Peta Clark added:
“As CPG continues to ignore its employees and struggle on through this dispute, staff are telling us that CPG are relying on expensive bank and agency staff to plug gaps; whilst managers are working long hours and staff are being offered overtime to provide cover.
“Surely this money could be used much more sensibly to pay their staff properly in the first place.
“If this situation continues then it calls into question whether CPG can deliver services effectively and could force the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB to review its contract with them.
“It’s now time for CPG to start meaningful discussions on pay to end this dispute.”
RCN members employed by CPG took strike action for the first time back on 25 August 2023 after being balloted earlier in the summer. 93% of RCN members who responded to the postal ballot voted in favour of strike action.
Since the dispute began in August 2023 CPG have continued to refuse to enter into any meaningful discussions with the RCN to settle the dispute. Further strike action is planned for later in January 2024 if CPG does not come to the negotiating table.
RCN members employed by CPG will be taking strike action from 7.00am on Monday 8 January to 8.00am on Saturday 13 January 2024 (inclusive).
Peta Clark, Operational Manager for the RCN in Yorkshire and the Humber, said:
“Yet again, nursing staff employed by CPG are being forced to take strike action in support of their campaign for fair pay.
“CPG can’t go on ignoring the facts. Some of their staff receive £5,000 a year less than their NHS counterparts, whilst their terms and conditions are not comparable either.
“Nursing staff at CPG are hard-working, committed professionals providing, skilled, personalised, and compassionate care just like their NHS counterparts. They deliver NHS services locally to help to ease the burden on our already overstretched hospitals and don’t deserve to be financially worse off because of where they work.
“Increasingly they are voting with their feet and seeking nursing jobs elsewhere or leaving nursing all together. With its aging population, North Lincolnshire and Grimsby cannot afford to lose its valuable community and social care nurses.”
Peta Clark added:
“As CPG continues to ignore its employees and struggle on through this dispute, staff are telling us that CPG are relying on expensive bank and agency staff to plug gaps; whilst managers are working long hours and staff are being offered overtime to provide cover.
“Surely this money could be used much more sensibly to pay their staff properly in the first place.
“If this situation continues then it calls into question whether CPG can deliver services effectively and could force the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB to review its contract with them.
“It’s now time for CPG to start meaningful discussions on pay to end this dispute.”
RCN members employed by CPG took strike action for the first time back on 25 August 2023 after being balloted earlier in the summer. 93% of RCN members who responded to the postal ballot voted in favour of strike action.
Since the dispute began in August 2023 CPG have continued to refuse to enter into any meaningful discussions with the RCN to settle the dispute. Further strike action is planned for later in January 2024 if CPG does not come to the negotiating table.
How you can help
You can help us today. Add your name to our petition to tell Humber and North Yorkshire ICB that enough is enough. Your local health and community nursing staff support you day in, day out, 365 days a year. Please show your support for them and sign our petition.
