Nurses In England, Wales And Northern Ireland Overwhelmingly Reject 3.6% Pay Rise

Nurses person overwhelmingly rejected nan government’s “grotesque” 3.6% salary grant for this year, successful a move that could lead to nan NHS facing further strikes.

Royal College of Nursing members successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland person voted by a ample mostly against accepting nan grant successful an suggestive ballot tally by nan union.

The RCN antecedently called nan 3.6% fig “grotesque”, said that it would beryllium “entirely swallowed up by inflation” and highlighted that it was little than doctors and teachers were given.

Well-placed sources opportunity nan results of nan union’s online study of 345,000 members successful nan 3 countries, which is owed later this week, will show a “clear” rejection of nan award. That will summation nan anticipation that nan NHS successful different parts of nan UK could look an autumn aliases wintertime of renewed disruption by unit unhappy astir their pay, arsenic it did successful precocious 2023 and early 2024.

Resident doctors – formerly known arsenic inferior doctors – successful England are connected nan 4th time of a five-day onslaught successful pursuit of their declare for a 29% salary rise. In addition, NHS unit successful England belonging to nan GMB union, including ambulance crews, past week rejected their 3.6% grant successful a consultative vote.

Sir Jim Mackey, nan main executive of NHS England, has warned that “continued disruption complete nan coming months could spot a snowball effect for patients and for staff” arsenic a consequence of doctors continuing to onslaught until nan extremity of nan twelvemonth and different unions staging walkouts too.

A spokesperson for nan RCN said: “The results will beryllium announced to our members later this week. As nan largest portion of nan NHS workforce, nursing unit do not consciousness weighted and nan authorities must urgently statesman to move that around.”

Nurses person seen nan real-terms worth of their salary eroded by a 4th since 2010/11, arsenic a consequence of debased salary awards and rising inflation, nan national says.

Wes Streeting, nan wellness secretary, announced successful May that he was giving nurses a 3.6% salary summation for 2025-26. The devolved governments successful Cardiff and Belfast person besides awarded nan aforesaid sum.

The RCN will not travel nan results of its suggestive ballot by past staging a ineligible ballot for business action, successful opposition to nan British Medical Association, nan doctors’ union. They will alternatively inquire ministers to talk to them astir a scope of changes to nurses’ position and conditions, including amended financial support for nursing students to reside a autumn successful applications and changes to Agenda for Change, nan longstanding salary building for UK-wide non-medical NHS staff.

The BMA has besides begun seeking nan views of consultants – elder infirmary doctors – and middle-grade medics successful England connected nan 4% salary emergence they were fixed for this twelvemonth successful a consultative vote, which it called “an insult”.