Nurses pay award "imposed but not necessarily accepted"

Wednesday 30 December 2020

News of a 5% pay rise for nurses and midwives in 2021 has come as a "shock" to their union, who believed that negotiations with Policy & Resources were still "open and ongoing".

The Royal College of Nursing has warned that whilst a surprise 2021 5% pay award is welcomed, it still may not be accepted by members who have been promised by P&R that pay parity will be addressed.

Following the protracted pay negotiations for the 2019/20 pay offer - which culminated in a strike action ballot which was only shelved due to the arrival of the pandemic - P&R had resolved to sit down with the RCN to thrash out details on achieving pay parity.

“This announcement has come out of the blue and is not quite as cut and dried as presented," said RCN member and negotiator Kenny Lloyd. 

Pictured: The pay awards for 2020 and 2021 announced this morning by Policy & Resources. 

"As a membership organisation we will be asking our members for their views before deciding our next steps. We welcome the commitment to recognise the nursing workforce and can see that 5% is a good offer especially when nurses and midwives are getting such an award whilst other pay groups are not.”

RCN South East Director Patricia Marquis was less welcoming, expressing concerns about the way the 'offer' had been handled.

“It’s disappointing to see this announcement made at the end of the year without due consideration to talking to us or the other pay groups it affects," she lamented. "This announcement does not appear to have been made in the spirit of the open and transparent negotiations we thought we were part of.

“We are seeking clarity around a few details and a commitment to ongoing talks, before we go back to our members for their final view. Regardless of this, it is imperative that a positive and constructive dialogue continues and that nursing pay remains high on the political agenda. Whether accepted or not, this award is a small step toward the parity nurses seek and our attention must turn to the pay framework and long term parity in order to secure a solid future for nurses in Guernsey.”

More information on which States employees will be getting annual pay rises and which will not can be found HERE.