Union asks nurses if they would strike over States’ pay offer
NURSING union members are being asked if they would be prepared to take industrial action in a ballot sent out to gauge reaction to a three-year pay offer from the States.
Royal College of Nursing local convenor Kenny Lloyd said that this was an indicative question ahead of a further ballot on action, should the offer be rejected.
A majority of States employees have accepted the three-year pay deal which will see a 5% rise this year, plus an additional £500, backdated to 1 January.
Next year employees will get RPIX, and in 2024, RPIX minus 1%. The RCN is recommending that nurses reject the offer.
Mr Lloyd said that the nurses had campaigned for pay equality with other States’ sectors for some time and were about to take strike action in 2020 when the pandemic hit and this threat was withdrawn.
‘And this is the reward,’ he said.
‘5% of a very good salary is very different to 5% of a poor salary. This offer, in this day and age, seems designed to cause division as well.’
He said that there had been no negotiation with the union ahead of this offer being made.
‘It’s an interesting approach to industrial relations, but that seems to be the way the States are thinking.’
Policy & Resources said the offer sought to balance the need for restraint in expenditure with the increasing cost of living.
Political lead for employer matters Deputy Dave Mahoney said the committee was pleased that the RCN was balloting its members, even if this was 10 weeks after the offer was made.
‘It is, however, disappointing that the States are described as “ignoring” the issue of pay parity, when nurses and midwives have received a pay uplift of c.20% for the period 2018-2021, while other groups such as established staff were awarded 6.4% for the same period,’ he said.
The claim that there were no negotiations was also denied.
‘The employer has made it very clear that following the conclusion of pay negotiations, it is willing to engage with all unions across the public sector to see how we can work together to address some of the issues that are important to them and the States, while acknowledging that the two sides will not always share the same views on proposed solutions.’
