Nurses union to reject pay deal as strike vote looms
Nurses are anticipated to reject their pay award in England this week, elevating the opportunity of strikes later within the 12 months, the BBC understands.
The Royal Faculty of Nursing (RCN) has been holding a consultative vote on their 3.6% pay rise, beforehand describing it as “grotesque” to award nurses a decrease improve than docs, lecturers, jail officers and the armed forces.
It would announce the outcomes later this week however the BBC understands it’ll present an “overwhelming” rejection of the deal.
The federal government stated there had been two above-inflation pay rises already, urging RCN members to just accept the pay award.
Any choice on formal strike motion wouldn’t be made till later within the 12 months.
In Might, the federal government accepted the pay overview physique’s suggestions of a 3.6% rise for nurses this 12 months.
The turnout is anticipated to be effectively over the 50% threshold wanted for industrial motion.
The union will demand ministers negotiate over the summer time to keep away from a proper poll for strike motion within the autumn.
The RCN is known to be open to talks on wider pay constructions, not simply headline pay.
A union spokesman stated: “The outcomes will likely be introduced to our members later this week. As the most important a part of the NHS workforce, nursing employees don’t really feel valued and the federal government should urgently start to show that round.”
A Division of Well being and Social Care spokesperson stated new full-time nurses would obtain £30,000 in primary pay for the primary time this 12 months following earlier pay rises.
They continued: “This authorities is evident we won’t transfer any additional on headline pay however will work with the RCN to enhance their main issues, together with pay construction reform, issues on profession development and wider working situations.”
On Friday the GMB union representing 1000’s of well being employees, together with ambulance crews, rejected the federal government’s pay deal in an preliminary consultative vote.
The GMB stated its members voted by 67% in opposition to the three.6% pay award supplied for 2025/26 in England.
The union has written to Well being Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an pressing assembly to debate pay and different points.
GMB nationwide secretary Rachel Harrison stated: “Our nationwide NHS and ambulance committees met on 24 July to debate the poll outcomes and decide what the following steps must be.
“In the present day, now we have written to Secretary of State Wes Streeting, asking him to satisfy with us to debate pay and different points of great significance to GMB members.
“We await his reply with curiosity.”
1000’s of resident docs in England, beforehand referred to as junior docs, started a five-day strike on Friday after the federal government and the British Medical Affiliation failed to succeed in an settlement over pay.
The well being secretary stated whereas it was not doable to get rid of disruption to the NHS, it was being saved to a minimal.
