Nurse pay lagging behind public sector, union says

Pay for nurses in Wales is at a "standstill" and "lagging behind" other public sector workers, according to a union.

Nurses have been offered a 3.6% pay rise for this financial year, below the offer for other NHS staff including doctors and dentists.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales has asked whether "downtrodden" nurses "have got the fight in them" to go back on strike.

The Welsh government said it had accepted the recommendations made by the independent NHS pay review body in full and was working to ensure staff receive the pay increase and back pay "as soon as possible".

Announcing the pay offer, Wales' Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said nurses provided "exceptional care", adding their services were "truly appreciated".

The minister accepted the advice of the NHS pay review body, including a 4% pay increase for doctors and dentists, and what has been described as an average rise of 5.4% for resident doctors, until recently known as junior doctors.

Speaking to BBC Walescast, Nicky Hughes, RCN Wales' associate director of nursing, said the Welsh government should "respect all professions and provide equal pay or at least parity across all the public sectors".

"Yet for the second year in a row we find that nurses...are lagging behind and that really shows a complete disrespect for the profession."

With the rise in everyday prices currently running at 3.5%, Ms Hughes said the 3.6% award for nurses was "about on inflation".

She added the cost of living crisis, particularly for food, was also an issue.

"We know that nurses are using food banks so, at the moment, what we're saying is, nurses deserve more."

Ms Hughes also pointed to the 2,000 nursing vacancies in Wales, out of a workforce of about 40,000.

She said the offer did not reflect nurses' work in recent months in reducing NHS waiting lists.

In March, the number of patients waiting two years or more for planned treatment stood at 8,389 - its lowest point since April 2021.

The RCN Wales will consult its members on the pay offer.

Welsh nurses voted to go on strike several times at the end of 2022 and the start of 2023.

Asked whether RCN members were willing to return to the picket lines, Ms Hughes said it would be "very difficult" currently.

"They're tired, they're burnt out, they're trying to do the best for their patients that they can," she said.

"So, although there will be an appetite with some of our members to go on strike, we will have to see where they go because they do feel very downtrodden at the moment.

Ms Hughes added nurses were fighting "every day" to get through their shift, make sure patients had safe care, and to ensure colleagues were looked after

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We have accepted the recommendations made by the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and are working to ensure that staff will receive both the pay increase and back pay as soon as possible.

"We greatly value the nursing and midwifery workforce in Wales and the vital work they do."

Watch Walescast at 22:40 BST on BBC One Wales or catch up on iPlayer. It is also available on BBC Sounds.