Posted 11 April 2023 - 12:57
Posted 11 April 2023 - 12:57
News
Failed pay talks leave nurses no closer to new deal
Nurses in Northern Ireland left in limbo as talks stall and parity with England unclear amid continued suspension of local legislature
Nurses in Northern Ireland left in limbo as talks stall and parity with England unclear amid continued suspension of local legislature
Nurses in Northern Ireland are no closer to being offered a new pay deal after the latest talks with the Department of Health (DoH) failed to reach a resolution.
Health unions including the RCN and Unison met with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris on 5 April after a delayed pay offer of 4% for 2022-23, in line with the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) recommendations, was rejected by nurses in December.
Unions have since called for clarity on whether the revised pay offer for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts in England will apply there, as the country currently does not have a functioning legislature.
Union warns that healthcare workers won’t wait until the Northern Ireland Assembly returns
Unison Northern Ireland’s head of bargaining and representation Anne Speed said healthcare workers needed a decent pay rise, warning that they would not wait until the Northern Ireland Assembly returns.
Ms Speed said: ‘The secretary of state was told that workers won’t accept the removal of pay parity, restored in 2019, by default. He was reminded that he has the authority to set a budget for Northern Ireland. Setting this budget must include funding to deliver a decent pay offer for health workers.’
However, union representatives were not given a clear date on when a budget could be expected.
Nurses in Northern Ireland took part in two days of strike action in December and remain in dispute over the pay offer. Ms Speed confirmed that workers would continue with industrial action ‘in the form of action short of strike’ until the matter was resolved.
The RCN in Northern Ireland described the meeting as constructive and said health unions had an ‘open and honest’ discussion with Mr Heaton-Harris.
RCN Northern Ireland director Rita Devlin said: ‘Taking into consideration the complex political situation we are facing we will make further decisions, and have full discussions with our members, when we receive the detailed information we have requested.’
Secretary of state agrees to further meeting with unions but no date is set
Mr Heaton-Harris has agreed to another meeting with unions but a date is yet to be set.
Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers across England are being balloted on a revised pay offer from the Westminster government, which includes a 5% pay rise for 2023-24 and a one-off payment of between £1,655 and £3,789 for 2022-23 for staff on Agenda for Change contracts.
Ballots for the RCN and Unison are set to close this week (14 April), while Unite’s will close on 28 April.
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