Posted 05 July 2018 - 14:28
Posted 05 July 2018 - 14:28
News
Unions to consult on NHS Wales pay deal
Deal ‘matches and in some cases goes beyond’ the one agreed in England
Nurses and other NHS staff in Wales are being offered a pay increase of 6.5% over three years, with some set to receive much more.
The Welsh Government says it has agreed a pay deal with unions and employers that ‘matches and in some cases goes beyond’ the one agreed in England.
NHS staff working in Wales have also been promised a reform of the current pay bands to remove those which overlap, as well as annual pay increases and faster pay progression over the next three years.
All staff should receive a total pay rise of at least 6.5% until 2020-21, but some will receive more according to their position on Agenda for Change pay bands.
For example, under the new deal a Band 5 nurse earning £22,129 would see their salary increase by £885 (4%) in 2018-19, £2,080 (9.4%) in 2019-20 and £2,788 (12.6%) in 2020-21.
A deal to raise pay by 6.5% in England was agreed by unions last month.
Members of unions involved in the negotiations, including the RCN, will now have their say on the deal via a ballot.
‘Much-deserved pay rise’
Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething said: ‘I am pleased to announce that – after eight hard years of austerity – we are now able to offer a much-deserved pay rise to our hard-working and dedicated NHS staff.
‘We have committed extra funding beyond the consequential funding that we received following the pay rise in England.
‘As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS, it is appropriate that we recognise those who have made the service what it is today, and who continue to deliver the best possible care for all in their time of need.’
Negotiations on the deal have been carried out by representatives from the government and health boards with unions via their membership of the Welsh Partnership Forum (WPF).
A total of 12 unions are on the WPF including RCN Wales, Unite, the GMB, and the British Association of Occupational Therapists/Unison.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said it hoped the individual unions would complete their ballots by September. If approved, the new deal would be implemented in October.
The deal, which does not include doctors, dentists or senior executives, would be backdated to 1 April, and the process would be fully implemented by November, said the spokesperson.
‘A long and arduous journey’
An RCN Wales spokesperson confirmed that a meeting will be called to discuss the proposed deal, with a ballot expected later in the summer.
The spokesperson added: ‘We welcome the announcement, the largest offered to nurses in ten years, and it has been a long and arduous journey to get to this point.
‘We will be working hard over the coming weeks to make sure our members have all the information they need to make an informed choice, but we believe that this is the best deal that we could do through negotiation.
‘We will continue to fight for better pay and conditions for all members of the nursing family – whether in the NHS or the independent sector.’
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