Nurses offered £500 and extra holiday in ‘final’ pay offer

Wednesday 07 July 2021

Nurses and midwives have been offered a one-off £500 “recognition sum”, and an extra day of holiday in 2022 and 2023, as part of their ‘final’ pay offer.

In addition to the annual leave and taxable cash, the Government is also offering 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.

Writing to the Royal College of Nurses, Royal College of Midwives and Unite the Union, the Government’s People and HR Director Mark Grimley said the offer had followed “a challenging discussion” and was the “best achievable by negotiation”.

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.”

The Royal College of Nursing said it would not be making a recommendation either way, but told members in a letter that the pros of accepting would be potentially avoiding the need for industrial action and that it maintains “commitment to parity with other sectors whilst giving some recognition to the unique pressure health staff faced this year”.

However, they noted that some may not feel the offer fully reflects “the role of nurses and midwives during the pandemic”.

The union said that rejecting would demonstrate the “strength of feeling from nurses and midwives”, and may also lead to a “potentially improved offer”, although it said this would be unlikely “without sustained member action.”

But rejecting the offer, they warned, could also lead the States Employment Board (SEB) to simply impose the lesser offer of 0.9% with no additional payment or annual leave. They also said that they may “lose public support if... seen to be asking for higher than others in the current climate.”

A ballot has now opened on the offer and will close on 26 July.