"Demoralised and undervalued" - nurses plan strike over States' pay offer

Tuesday 25 September 2018

Local nurses "angered" by a States pay offer they say fails to address strong concerns raised as many as six years ago are readying themselves for a strike, the Royal College of Nursing has said.

95% of the nurses and midwives balloted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) rejected the pay offer "giving the College no other option but to move forward with this action."

Under deals being put forward by the States, nurses and midwives are set for a 6.6% pay rise over the next two years - a mix of one-off payments and a recurring rise. In a statement, the RCN said that nurses and midwives were "angered" by this offer as it didn't address any of the concerns raised by the College back in 2012. At the time, it was promised that pay parity and workforce modernisation would form part of the 2012/13/14 pay offer.

Di Francis, RCN Senior Regional Officer says: “Going into dispute isn’t a process we take lightly but we feel it is the only way forward. We have been consistent with our message to the States – give nurses and midwives equal pay with their allied health professional colleagues, something that the States promised more than six years ago and have failed to deliver.

"The States have heralded this as a fantastic offer but the majority of nurses and midwives don’t see the package as the best way to future proof nursing and midwifery on Jersey, especially as it still doesn’t bring them in line with our allied healthcare professional colleagues. The whole process has been painfully slow, all the time meaning nurses and midwives are not getting any more money in their pocket."

Ms Francis says that while the pay gap has reduced gradually closing it is not quick enough. "Six years on and there is still work to be done. Our members have been patient enough," she said, adding that the current strategy does nothing to address the retention issues in Jersey. "It cuts back unsocial hours payments and still fails to offer pay parity – equal pay for work of equal value," she explained.

"Nurses and midwives feel demoralised and undervalued and it has to stop," she continued. “Going into dispute is the next step in trying to find a resolution to this. Nursing staff are keen for the public to know they are not being greedy and are absolutely committed to delivering high quality care but enough is enough."

As their patience is now being "severely tested," many are prepared to consider taking industrial action if the States do not offer an acceptable deal. 

The RCN is the latest in a series of unions to reject the States pay offer. 94% members of the Jersey Nursing Association previously rejected the deal, as well as 87% of Unite the Union and 95% of JCSA Prospect members.

Deputy Rob Ward also launched a challenge to the States Employment Board (SEB) to justify what he described as "convoluted and complicated" pay proposals. A question from Deputy Ward in the States Assembly two weeks ago also revealed that only 159 public sector employees out of a workforce of over 6,000 have been offered a pay award in line with rises in the cost of living.