Jersey pay offer would put new registrants on £39,000

Latest offer comes after Channel island's nurses withdrew goodwill in pay parity row

Nurses on Jersey have received a pay offer in what the RCN describes as a last-ditch attempt to avoid a ballot for industrial action.

It would mean newly qualified nurses could earn £39,174.91 – £16,000 more than the entry point for Band 5 in England's NHS.

The offer from the States of Jersey is a consolidated flat-rate for nurses and midwives worth 6.1% over two years – 3.1% in 2018 and 3% in 2019. RCN members on the Channel island had previously rejected the government’s differential pay offer for 2018 and 2019 as part of a pay dispute.

Revised offer

A States spokesperson said although the previous offer worked out at an average of 6.6%, it would not have been the same for all nurses and midwives.

The official said staff would have received between 0.5% and 13.3% in 2018 and between 0.75% and 2.5% in 2019 depending on their grade.

• RELATED: Nursing unions reject Jersey pay offer – and threaten industrial action

The spokesperson confirmed the revised offer is the same for all nurses and midwives and the change has been made in response to discussions with unions.

RCN senior officer Di Francis said if members reject the latest offer the only option would be an industrial action ballot.

‘We have reached the end of our negotiations with the States employment board and it is in the hands of our members to decide if they wish to accept or reject the offer,’ she said.

Comparison with NHS in England

Under the proposal a newly qualified nurse could earn £39,174.91 in 2018, compared to their current annual salary of £37,997, according to the RCN.

In comparison, the deal signed in England for 2018/19 means nurses entering at the bottom of Agenda for Change band 5 earn £23,023.

The Jersey offer includes a promise to overhaul roles in health and community services to address the issue of pay disparity with allied health professionals.

Voting on the pay deal for RCN members opens on Monday (10 December) and runs until January 7.

Jersey nurses had withdrawn goodwill on the island last month, by declining bank shifts and taking their breaks in full over the pay dispute.

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