New health minister 'wants to give NI nurses a pay rise but Executive hasn't signed it off'
The new health minister says he wants to give nurses a pay rise, but it is being thwarted by other ministers.
The Department of Health was reacting to the news that a ballot for strike action among nurses is expected some time this autumn in a dispute over pay.
As reported yesterday, the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) is planning to stage the vote because NHS nurses here have yet to receive the 3.3% pay hike that their counterparts in England and Wales have been granted.
That pay rise was recommended by an independent review, to be effective from April.
There are about 24,000 nurses in NI, but the rise would only apply to those nurses directly working for public bodies – not to those in private care homes or GPs’ surgeries.
Last year, nurses in NI got a 3.6% pay hike, but only after a delay.
In the absence of one this year, the RCN has argued that its members’ salaries are being ground down by inflation, currently at 3.1%.
All this comes days after health minister Mike Nesbitt dramatically quit in a dispute with the leader of the UUP. He has now been replaced by Robbie Butler.
The department has said it is “disappointed” by the prospect of a ballot, “but the minister appreciates the frustration felt”.
"The Minister is fully committed to ensuring staff across health and social care [HSC] receive their recommended pay award and that pay parity with NHS England colleagues is restored as soon as possible,” it said.
"The previous minister issued a ministerial direction to enable the pay awards to be implemented; this direction must be agreed by the Executive.”
It added that the minister “will continue to press Executive colleagues to agree the direction as a matter of priority to allow staff across HSC to receive their long over-due pay award” and plans to meet with unions on September 1.