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Is the delay on nurses’ pay part of a government game plan?

RCN’s Patricia Marquis brands government failure to submit its evidence on next year’s pay as ‘disgusting’ and suggests it is part of a wider plan

RCN’s Patricia Marquis brands government failure to submit its evidence on next year’s pay as ‘disgusting’ and suggests it is part of a wider plan

Patricia Marquis, RCN director for England, outside Downing Street after submitting a petition signed by 100,000 people calling for fairer pay
Patricia Marquis, RCN director for England, outside No 10 Downing Street earlier today. Picture: Matt Crossick/PA Wire

The government’s failure so far to submit its evidence on NHS pay for next year’s pay round has been branded ‘disgusting’.

RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said it was disappointing movement on the 2023-24 pay offer had been delayed, suggesting it was part of a wider government game plan.

Government missed deadline to submit evidence for next year’s pay by three weeks

On Tuesday chair of the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) Philippa Hird revealed the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had missed the deadline to submit its evidence for next year’s pay round by more than three weeks.

Later, health and social care secretary Steve Barclay told a Commons health and social care select committee that the delays were for ‘a very constructive reason, which is… we didn’t want to take anything off the table. We wanted to have further engagement with trade union colleagues.’

Mr Barclay last met with the RCN and other health unions representing Agenda for Change employees on 9 January, two days before the evidence was due to the RB.

Steve Barclay avoiding negotiations around nurse pay, says RCN

But speaking outside Downing Street today after delivering a petition calling for fair pay for nursing, Ms Marquis said Mr Barclay’s comments were ‘untrue.’

She told the Nursing Standard: ‘We all know that’s not true. We have been very clear that the meetings that Mr Barclay has had with us have been nothing but avoiding the negotiations around pay.

‘It has just been one meeting after another where all he has sought to do is to talk around the issues.’

Commenting on the government’s delay on submitting evidence to the RB she added: ‘It is frankly disgusting that they’re not doing that. And who knows what their game plan is.

‘Have they really got the evidence ready or are they waiting for other things to happen? It’s very disappointing and all it gives again is another reason to feel that there’s no genuine resolution being sought by the government.’

Strikes bill, if passed, will give employers power to sack health workers who strike

The hold-up by the government comes as the Strikes (Minimum Services) Bill cleared the Commons on Monday, with Stephen McPartland MP for Stevenage the only Tory MP to vote against it.

If passed into legislation, the bill will give employers the power to sack health workers issued with ‘work notices’ who go on strike. The bill will be read in the House of Lords on 21 February.

The DHSC has been contacted for comment.


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