RCN Wales announces further strike action in February

The Royal College of Nursing in Wales today announces further strike action in February following the Welsh Government’s refusal to offer a meaningful pay award for NHS staff. 

If progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January, RCN members in Wales will strike again for 12 hours on both 6 and 7 February. 

Today’s announcement to escalate action even further comes after RCN Wales has repeatedly urged the Welsh Government to find a resolution to our dispute on, NHS pay for this financial year 2022-23, and safe staffing levels. 

The value of salaries for experienced nurses today are 20 per cent lower in real terms due to successive below-inflation pay awards since 2010 resulting in over 3000 vacancies for registered nurses in the NHS in Wales.  

Director, RCN Wales, Helen Whyley, said:

“I hoped that the Welsh Government would change their approach and come back to the table to negotiate with the RCN seriously on NHS pay and offer a substantive and restorative pay award. This has not happened to date. Their offer of a non-consolidated one-off payment, funded by monies ‘found down the back of the sofa’ shows the Welsh Governments disrespect for the crisis in the nursing workforce and a lack of a real commitment to want to address it.

RCN Wales members have been left without a choice, we will be taking strike action on February 6 and 7.

Nursing staff are striking for patient safety, for the future of nursing, and to save the NHS in Wales. We stand beside our members in their call to our government here in Wales for fair pay. Enough really is enough.”

Ends 

Notes to Editors 

List of locations where strike action will take on 6 and 7 February can be found below:

WALES

-  Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

-  Powys Teaching Local Health Board

-  Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Headquarters

-  Hywel Dda University Health Board

-  Swansea Bay University Health Board

-  Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

-  Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board

-  Velindre NHS Trust

-  Public Health Wales

-  Health Education and Improvement Wales Health Authority

-  NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership

-  Digital Health and Care Wales


Researchers at London Economics, commissioned by the RCN, looked at the pay awards that NHS Agenda for Change nursing staff have been given in the UK since 2010. They found that in real terms, the salary of an experienced nurse has fallen by 20% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 16% in Scotland. 

They also found that the Exchequer would recoup 81% of the initial outlay in terms of higher tax receipts and savings on future recruitment and retention costs. The report can be found here. 

The RCN held its first-ever national strike last month (December). 

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. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape health care policy by working closely with the UK government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies, and voluntary organisations.

For more information, contact the RCN Wales at CommunicationWales@rcn.org.uk or 02920 680732