Swann urges government to act as nurses prepare for strike action

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are expected to have endorsed strike action when the outcome of a ballot is announced this week.

The union has said that nurses’ salaries have been repeatedly squeezed by below inflation pay awards, and that a record numbers of nurses are quitting the profession.

If the walkout goes ahead, the staff shortage will affect non-urgent care in many areas.

In a letter calling on the NI Secretary to address the issue, former health minister Robin Swann states: “As you will be aware until the end of last month I was the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland. I shared your deep frustrations that a new Executive was not formed before the October 28th deadline, especially as I witnessed first-hand the real damage that political instability was inflicting on our most important public services.

“One of the key driving forces behind the reestablishment of the previous NI Executive in early January 2020 was the fact that so many of our health workers were engaging in industrial action.

“Whilst it will not surprise you that pay was to the forefront of their campaign, along with the need for a greater focus on safe staffing, the most compelling argument of those taking part in the action was that staff in Northern Ireland were being paid less than their counterparts anywhere else across the UK.

“That is why on my first day in office I made resolving the ongoing industrial dispute my number one priority and I was pleased to announce to the Assembly the successful resolution only days later.

UUP MLA for North Antrim Mr Swann also said it was disappointing that staff in NI are again “witnessing a divergence in pay”.

He said: “Very quickly after the publication of the pay review recommendations during the summer I sought to allay some of the immediate concerns by stating I accepted them and hoped to see them delivered. I also had to state however that in the ongoing absence of a functioning Executive and agreed budget position legally I was unable to do so immediately.

“Throughout my final months and weeks in post I still inquired whether I could implement the pay review body recommendations but the advice each time was that there first needed to be a wider Executive policy decision on public sector pay. That was the advice from both the officials within my Department as well as the then Minister of Finance.

“Therefore, I would urge you that when, in the coming weeks, you are providing legislative clarity on the 2022/23 Budget you also please take the opportunity to set the policy on public sector pay to allow our staff to be given as a minimum their pay award for the same year.”

Mr Swann said he does not “underestimate the scale of budgetary pressures across the Executive departments”, and within the Department of Health particularly, however, he added: “If we are to learn one thing from the many mistakes of the past please let it be that if we don’t appropriately reward and support our staff the health service will only find itself in an increasingly weaker position.”