Pay rise offer for nurses ‘is nowhere near’ 10%
NURSES want a 10% pay rise and are ‘fed up and have said enough is enough’.
Royal College of Nursing senior regional officer Julie Lewers said that Policy & Resources, responsible for a pay review, needs to be aware of that.
Ms Lewers said they were not in a position to ballot on a pay rise offer from P&R. ‘Our members were looking at a 10% pay rise offer and the offer that has been made is nowhere near 10%.
‘I am pretty sure that at our discussion later members will reject the offer that has been made.’
Ms Lewers said the pay in Guernsey for nurses was higher than in the UK due to living costs and lack of support from junior doctors. However, they try not to compare the situation on Guernsey with that of the UK.
‘It’s unique. It’s a challenging health environment, sometimes planes don’t fly if there’s fog. Nurses have to be ready for anything.
‘However, when you compare the salaries of nurses to those in other professions in Guernsey, such as the civil service, the disparity is huge.’
Ms Lewers said this should not be the case. ‘Nursing requires a three-year degree and those in senior positions are expected to have a Master’s Degree.
‘It’s very costly and requires a lot of time and knowledge which needs to be paid accordingly. The current situation is not sustainable.’
An implementation plan was recently released to unions in Guernsey healthcare. The plan resulted from an independent review which took place in December last year by Dean Royles, director of the Inspiring Leadership Network, which contained a number of recommendations.
The Policy & Resources Committee, who employ the nurses on behalf of the States, were due to report back to the Assembly on the results of the report last March. However, there were delays.
Ms Lewers wanted to be clear that the issue was not with the Committee for Health & Social Care and her members agreed that their anger was directed towards P&R, not HSC, who do not have responsibility for negotiating pay, terms and conditions.
HSC says that it has been pressing for action on pay and conditions and wants a quick solution.
