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Nurses and midwives will be given a one-off £500 “recognition sum”, and an extra day of holiday in 2022 and 2023, after the Government decided to impose its ‘final’ pay offer.
In addition to the annual leave and taxable cash, the deal also includes a consolidated pay rise of 0.9% for 2021 – equivalent to adding approximately £425 to the average nurse salary – and an award set at the rate of inflation from January 2022.
The 2021 rise is in line with the offer accepted by all other pay groups.
While one union ballot came out against the deal, the States Employment Board (SEB) – the panel of politicians responsible for setting the public sector workforce’s pay and terms and conditions – said it felt it was in “everyone’s interests to move forward.”
The Jersey Nursing Association and the Royal College of Midwifery both accepted the offer. The Royal College of Nurses rejected it – 322 members took part in the ballot, with 157 (49%) voting in favour, and 165 (51%) voting against.
Pictured: The Royal College of Nurses rejected the offer by eight votes.
Express understands that unions met with Government officials on Wednesday to find a resolution.
A spokesperson confirmed to Express yesterday afternoon that the SEB had decided to go ahead with the offer.
“Two of the three trade unions balloted accepted the revised offer for nurses and midwives. The Royal College of Nurses rejected the offer by a handful of votes. After discussions with the trade unions, the States Employment Board believe it is in everyone's interests to move forward with the deal that was negotiated. This provides a two-year pay deal for nurses and midwives,” they explained.
The final offer was made after what the Government’s HR Director Mark Grimley described as a “challenging discussion”.
The offer of 0.9% alone was originally put to nurses and midwives in February 2021. In an online survey, 82% of RCN members rejected it.
Following appeals by RCN negotiators, the SEB would not agree to an increase, saying it was “unaffordable in the current climate”, particularly given that a betterment clause in the offer meant that “any increase above 0.9% to nurses and midwives would need to be paid across the board to all sectors.”
Pictured: Other pay groups will also be getting the 0.9% pay award.
It did, however, eventually agree to the additional payment and annual leave.
The 2021 Pay Award of 0.9% was also agreed by the following groups - excluding those with salaries of £100,000 or more - earlier this year:
Staff grade doctors, Senior Associate Specialists and Hospital Consultants agreed a 4% award for 2020, as well as the 2021 0.9% award.
Meanwhile, the Government’s pension contributions will increase by 0.8%.
Excluding nurses and midwives, these rises totalled around £3.8m.
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