Jersey pay offer FAQs
Below, we answer some frequently asked questions about the pay ballot for employees of Government of Jersey Health and Community Services and Public Health States of Jersey staff.
This pay award relates to all Employees of Government of Jersey Health and Community Services and Public Health States of Jersey. Members of Family Nursing and Home Care are not eligible to vote.
To vote in the RCN consultation, you must be in current membership of the RCN and not in arrears.
As part of the joint union group (includes RCN, JNA and RCM) that represents nurses and midwives the RCN has been negotiating 2024 pay for members employed by the Government of Jersey Health and Community Services.
The employer made an offer which was lower than that made to other pay groups. With the support of the RCN South East Board, the RCN and other unions negotiated improvements.
We are now in the position to share the final offer with members.
The joint union group is committed to continuing as a collective with the negotiations as it’s felt this strengthens the position for all.
The RCN is preparing to consult you, the affected members on the offer. Other unions are also preparing to consult their members.
A letter was sent to the collective unions on 8 March 2024 outlining the renewed pay offer – view this on the Jersey Branch web page.
2024 – A pay increase of 8% (consolidated)
2025 – A guarantee of RPI + 1% (RPI as at September 2024)
2026 – A guarantee of RPI + 1% (RPI as at September 2025)
The offer is presented in its entirety. You must accept or reject all of it.
Consolidated means that the pay rise each year will be a permanent uplift to your salary and is able to be included in your pension calculations etc.
Although the letter does not explicitly say, Sue Bishop, Head of Employment Relations has confirmed that all years are consolidated.
The effect on an individual’s benefits depends on individual circumstances and the type of benefit. To find more detail on your benefit situation, go to Benefits and financial support - Government of Jersey (gov.je)
Members who are facing significant hardship and who need additional support and advice, can also seek support from the RCN Foundation.
Rises in pensionable pay can affect the contributions you will pay into the scheme.
Some staff, as a consequence of their annual pay uplift and/or incremental pay progression, may end up paying a higher percentage of contributions. This is because their pensionable earnings have increased, and they move into a higher tier in the pension contribution framework. This may make it seem like the value of the individuals pay uplift has been lost. Staff receiving pensionable allowances in addition to their basic pay (for example unsocial hours payments) may also be affected by this. Information on the state pension is here: How your state pension works (gov.je)
It depends on when you have left. Those in employment on the date of acceptance will be entitled to the pay rise along with any eligible back pay (to January 2024 if eligible).
The States have committed to paying the award in full, including back pay to 1 Jan 2024. As this is a multi-year offer there would be no need for further negotiations on pay for 2024-26.
The RCN would seek to reopen negotiations with the States of Jersey.
The RCN Pay Principles indicate that RCN members will be consulted on decisions relating to their pay, terms and conditions. This consultation allows members to have their say in relation to the acceptability or otherwise of a pay offer following negotiations with your employer. The pay offer will mean different things to different people.
This campaign is led by your South East Board, Council and Trade Union Committee, and they believe RCN members should be heard on the acceptability or otherwise of this pay offer.
A pay offer is usually generated from discussions or negotiations between an employer or government that controls pay, and the employees or the employees’ trade union.
Once an offer is made, the employees are given an opportunity to consider if they wish to accept the offer made by the employer or government.
A pay award is when an employer or government (Government of Jersey) that controls pay decides on pay for the staff and implements that decision by automatically applying it to the employee’s contract of employment.
The survey is online only. The link to the survey will be made live soon.
You can vote multiple times or change your mind, but we will only accept your final vote.
The link is https://www.rcn.org.uk/MyRCN/jersey-pay-ballot you will need to be logged into your RCN account to be able to vote.
Eligible members will receive an email on 3 April with a link which you can follow to cast your vote to either accept or reject the pay offer.
Members have until 9am on 16 April 2024 to cast their vote.
Contact the regional team for support: sam.crooks@rcn.org.uk
Updating your details
You must be in current membership to vote (not in arrears). To update your details, login to MyRCN or call RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100 (select option one), or email membership@rcn.org.uk. You must include your membership number in your email, and you will be asked for it if you call.
You can find out more about RCN membership and other ways to get in touch on our Membership FAQs.
