Nurses could threaten strike as 3.6% pay hike rejected - Health Minister blames Executive for delay in salary boost that England and Wales already get
Nurses could go on strike after a ballot in which four in five Northern Irish voters rejected an offered pay rise.
Like their counterparts in England and Wales, nurses in the province say a 3.6% salary boost doesn’t go far enough – and the situation is worse here, say representatives, as nurses on mainland Britain have already received the pay rise, whereas in Northern Ireland the profession is languishing behind as they still haven’t got the extra money.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt yesterday blamed the Northern Ireland Executive for the hold-up, stating it still hasn’t approved salary hikes he approved in May.
According to the province’s branch of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), more than 50% of staff voted in the ballot, of whom almost 80% rejected the 3.6% rise as not enough to “turn around a struggling profession facing severe staff shortages, or to keep patients safe amidst a corridor care crisis in the system”.
The body’s executive director Rita Devlin said: “This vote is an overwhelming signal from our members that they feel undervalued and that meaningful change is needed in the nursing profession.
“Despite being told we deserve the same 3.6% pay award which nursing staff in England and Wales are already receiving, we have yet to have confirmation of when and indeed if this will happen. Make no mistake, inaction over pay will not be accepted.”
Nurses in England and Wales are threatening industrial action, citing problems in the profession including widespread understaffing due to vacancies, stunted career progression, and years of pay erosion. That could now be mirrored in Northern Ireland, amid warnings that massive investment in the NHS is needed to fix the problems.
The RCN NI has backed an overhaul of the system put forward by Mr Nesbitt – but, says Professor Devlin, the meaningful change that has to come “will only be possible with the full involvement and leadership of nursing staff”.
“Expecting an already exhausted and disillusioned workforce to invest their time and energy into this process without a fair pay award is both unreasonable and deeply disrespectful,” she said.
“Since 2019, nursing staff in Northern Ireland have shown they are willing to stand up for fair treatment, not only for themselves but for the patients they care for. The current pay system is broken, and we are demanding change.
“The first step must be for the executive to deliver the long-overdue pay award for this year, which should have been implemented in April.”
Mr Nesbitt pointed the finger at the executive for the hold-up, adding he “couldn’t agree more” that the wage hike needs to come into effect.
Reinforcing that he’d triggered the pay rise process in May, he stated the move was then referred to the executive as a whole.
“Unfortunately, that's where it still sits,” he said. “I share the RCN’s frustration at the fact that pay increases have still not been implemented. Our health workers deserve so much better.”
Nurses in Northern Ireland previously went on a series of strikes over pay and conditions at the end of 2019 and start of 2020.