Nursing staff out in force for pay and conditions campaign

About 100 members gathered in Church Square for the second Information Saturday in a row and they also had a presence at yesterday’s balcony gig at Cobo.

‘This will be going on for as long as it takes and we won’t be going away this time,’ said RCN South East Region Board vice chairman Kenny Lloyd.

More than 300 people signed a petition supporting their claim last week and in excess of 3,000 have done so online.

Facilities manager Paul Cheetham, 56, said nurses had a very difficult job which most regard as a calling.

The hours were awful too.

‘I don’t think the States can afford to pay them what they are worth,’ he said.

‘There’s only a finite amount of money across the States and they have to distribute how they see fit.’

Nurses say their profession needs future-proofing so that a nursing career on Guernsey is seen as an attractive and viable option.

They want a pay rise that they said would finally bring them in line with colleagues doing similar work across the States and giving parity to all.

There needed to be a robust system in place to ensure safe staffing that would enable safe delivery of care without relying on agency staff and stretching the goodwill of staff to breaking point.

Mental health nurse specialist Paul Corcoran said nurses were taking on increasingly complex roles with responsibilities now that included assessment, diagnosis and prescribing, and that should be reflected in their pay.

Sandra James is a former RCN Guernsey branch convenor and RCN governing body chairman.

‘This is something that has been going for at least 40 years,’ she said.

‘I noticed when I first came to Guernsey then the disparity of pay with colleagues such as social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists and all fellow professionals.’

Reform Jersey politician Sam Mezec was among those supporting the nurses in Church Square on Saturday.

n People can sign the petition by going to change.org and searching for Guernsey nurses.