Now restore nurses’ pay, union tells Northern Ireland’s leaders
Posted 05 February 2024 - 14:12
As new Executive takes office, RCN demands urgent action to give nurses and other healthcare workers parity with rest of UK
The newly formed devolved government in Northern Ireland must urgently restore pay parity for nurses and other health workers in the country, a union has warned.
The RCN said the new Northern Ireland Executive, headed by Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill as first minister and the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) Emma Little-Pengelly as deputy, needed to take urgent action to bring pay for health staff in line with colleagues across the UK.
Northern Ireland had not had a functioning devolved legislature for two years due to a political impasse, which slowed pay talks and left nurses and other health workers as the only ones in the UK without a revised pay offer for 2023-24.
Power-sharing institutions were restored on Saturday.
Political inaction has forced many to question their future in the profession, adding to chronic nursing shortages
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: ‘The return of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive is to be greatly welcomed.
‘Four years after pay parity was first restored to nursing staff in Northern Ireland, the Executive must now take urgent action to restore parity once more. The past two years of political inaction has forced many to question their future in our profession, adding to chronic nursing shortages across all sectors.
‘This has been a frustrating period for nursing staff and patients alike and while this breakthrough follows an unnecessary repeat of history, it is now time for politicians to demonstrate their support for nursing and healthcare.’
Nurses joined other public sector workers in Northern Ireland in strike action on 18 January to protest against the lack of pay parity.
Health minister says he wants to prioritise pay talks and resolve current industrial action
The RCN had previously warned that nurses could take further industrial action if pay parity with England was not delivered and patient safety concerns were not addressed.
Returning health minister Robin Swann, who was previously in the post from 2020 to 2022, said he wanted to prioritise pay talks and resolve current industrial action.
He said: ‘That is my immediate priority and I want to see pay negotiations being initiated without delay. Consequently, I have written to the trade unions inviting them to early discussions. Staff are the bedrock of the health service and they are entitled to proper remuneration for the vital work they do.’
The Northern Ireland Office confirmed in January that the UK government had provided up to £584 million in funding to address public sector pay and more than £1 billion to stabilise Northern Ireland’s public sector services.
However, the new Executive has written to prime minister Rishi Sunak stating that the current financial package, worth more than £3 billion in total, is not enough to ‘deliver sustainable public services and public finances’ and will only provide a short-term solution to the pressing issues they face.
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