RCN Wales to ballot members on latest NHS pay offer from Welsh government

Talks between RCN Wales and the Welsh government on improvements to NHS pay, terms and conditions have now concluded. The new offer includes improvements to flexible working arrangements, overtime payments, and commitments to review national role profiles and steps to limit the care patients receive in inappropriate settings. 

RCN Wales will be balloting members on the new offer from Monday 31 July – Thursday 31 August and is not making a recommendation on how members vote. The outcome of this vote will determine the next step in the RCN’s ongoing trade dispute with the Welsh government. 

Helen Whyley, Director RCN Wales said:

“Our members have always acted in the best interest of their profession and the safety of their patients. It is their sheer determination, and the threat of further strikes that once again forced the Welsh government to do better. These improvements could have a significant impact on the working lives of our members and their ability to deliver high-quality patient care whilst maintaining their own wellbeing. While they focus on non-pay elements of nurses' terms and conditions, several of them will result in more money in our members’ pockets.

“As always, our members will decide whether these terms go far enough to end our current dispute with the Welsh government and NHS organisations. These latest improvements, if accepted, will pave the way for full pay restoration in the years to come and our continued work with the Welsh government to secure the best for members.

“The campaign will not stop here whatever the outcome. We know that to achieve fair pay for nursing and a safely staffed workforce, we need short-, medium- and long-term action from the government and we will continue to demand and secure just that.”

ENDS.

Notes to Editors

Welsh Government's offer in principle | Royal College of Nursing (rcn.org.uk)

Further strike action and a further statutory ballot on industrial action remain paused while a consultation on the non-pay elements of the latest Welsh government offer take place.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world with over half a million members in the UK, including around 29,500 members in Wales. The RCN promotes the interests of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.