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Strike called off after midwives accept 1% pay offer

RCM members back deal by margin of nine to one

Midwives in England have accepted a 1% pay rise for 2015/16, ending a long-running dispute with the government.

Some 93.9% of the Royal College of Midwives members who voted were in favour of accepting the deal, which was offered by the government last month just days before a planned 12-hour strike.

The RCM staged strikes – the first in its 133-year history – at the end of last year, alongside other unions including Unison and Unite. The industrial action, which involved staff taking all breaks, followed a refusal by health secretary Jeremy Hunt to honour the recommendation of the NHS Pay Review Body that all staff on Agenda for Change terms be given a 1% rise in 2014/15.

RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick said: 'I am pleased that RCM members voted in favour of accepting the offer. This is the best that could be achieved by negotiations and we achieved significant improvements following our campaign and industrial action and in the negotiations.

'Even during our industrial action midwives have maintained safety for women. They deserve to be valued by the government and employers.'