The Royal College of Nursing has today called on the health secretary to open “formal, detailed negotiations” on NHS pay and patient safety in the next five days or the nursing union will announce its first strike dates and locations for December.
In a letter to the health secretary following the Autumn Statement, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen said the Chancellor demonstrated that “the government remains unprepared to give my members the support they need at work and at home”.
Cullen said that recent meetings with Steve Barclay, while cordial in tone, had not resolved the issues at the heart of the proposed strike action.
Last week, the RCN announced that nursing staff at the majority of NHS employers across the UK had voted to take strike action over pay and patient safety.
In the letter, she added: "It is with regret that I write to say that unless our next meeting is formal pay negotiations, beginning within the next 5 days, we will be announcing the dates and locations of our December strike action.”
The RCN’s Fair Pay for Nursing campaign is calling for a pay rise of 5% above inflation (measured by RPI).
Despite this year's pay award, experienced nurses are worse off by 20% due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.
In her letter, Cullen said her recent meetings with Mr Barclay were welcome, but added that “I must not let my members nor the public confuse these meetings for serious discussions on the issues of NHS pay and patient safety”.
She said: “You have again asked to meet in the coming days and for this third occasion I must be clearer in my expectation.
“There is only value in meeting if you wish to discuss - in formal, detailed negotiations - the issues that have caused our members to vote for strike action.
“It is now more than a week since we announced our ballot outcome and your department has dedicated more time to publicly criticising our members’ expectations than finding common ground and a satisfactory conclusion.
“I also point out that this stands in contrast to the approach taken by governments and executives in other parts of the United Kingdom.”
The RCN says the economic argument for paying nursing staff fairly is clear when billions of pounds is being spent on agency staff to plug workforce gaps. Also, independent research commissioned by the RCN has shown the Exchequer would recoup 81% of the initial outlay of a significant pay rise in terms of higher tax receipts and savings on future recruitment and retention costs.
In the last year, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register. Poor pay contributes to staff shortages across the UK, affecting patient safety. There are 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in England’s NHS alone.
Ends
Notes to Editors
Researchers at London Economics, commissioned by the RCN, looked at the pay awards that NHS Agenda for Change nursing staff have been given in the UK since 2010. They found that in real terms, the salary of an experienced nurse has fallen by 20% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 16% in Scotland.
They also found that the Exchequer would recoup 81% of the initial outlay in terms of higher tax receipts and savings on future recruitment and retention costs. The report can be found here.
The text of the full letter today to Steve Barclay:
Dear Secretary of State,
Thank you for the opportunity to meet last Thursday. While we each agreed the meeting had been constructive and cordial in tone, it was not a meeting to find resolution concerning our trade dispute.
In the same manner, the Royal College of Nursing joined other unions in meeting you on Tuesday this week. Again, this rare engagement is welcome but I must not let my members nor the public confuse these meetings for serious discussions on the issues of NHS pay and patient safety.
You have again asked to meet in the coming days and for this third occasion I must be clearer in my expectation. There is only value in meeting if you wish to discuss - in formal, detailed negotiations - the issues that have caused our members to vote for strike action.
It is now more than a week since we announced our ballot outcome and your department has dedicated more time to publicly criticising our members’ expectations than finding common ground and a satisfactory conclusion. I also point out that this stands in contrast to the approach taken by governments and executives in other parts of the United Kingdom.
I waited for today’s Autumn Statement by the Chancellor before concluding that the government remains unprepared to give my members the support they need at work and at home. It is with regret that I write to say that unless our next meeting is formal pay negotiations, beginning within the next 5 days, we will be announcing the dates and locations of our December strike action.
Yours sincerely,
Pat Cullen
General Secretary & Chief Executive
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interests of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.
