The Welsh Government has “no intention of coming to a resolution” on pay and therefore nurse strikes will press ahead in the country this week as planned, the Royal College of Nursing in Wales has announced.
The pay dispute in Wales continues after RCN Wales, and other NHS unions, met with the Welsh Government on Monday to discuss the situation.
Health minister, Eluned Morgan, had failed to put forward any pay increase during the talks and so strikes organised by RCN Wales this month will still take place.
Similarly, RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen had last-minute talks with the UK Government on Monday evening, but the dispute was also not resolved there.
It has now been confirmed that members of the RCN across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will strike on 15 and 20 December as planned.
Helen Whyley, director of RCN Wales, said: “RCN strikes are inevitable in Wales because the Welsh Government is making it so.”
She explained this had been the “second time in as many weeks that the Welsh Government have brought RCN Wales to a meeting where they clearly have no intention of coming to a resolution on our dispute”.
“Our door is always open for a meaningful discussion on fair pay for nursing but this must be a significant increase,” added Ms Whyley.
“The Welsh Government’s prolonging of this unnecessary crisis is reckless, self-defeating, and in no one’s interest.
“Low pay is fanning the flames of a workforce crisis and the rising number of registered nurse vacancies is already putting patients at risk.”
“RCN strikes are inevitable in Wales because the Welsh Government is making it so”
Helen Whyley
Such pressures meant “nurses are caught between their responsibilities to their patients, their families, and their own health”, warned Ms Whyley.
“Enough is enough. If the Welsh Government is serious about patient safety, they must act now,” she added.
“Nursing staff must be paid fairly for the safety critical work they do.”
Other unions present at the meeting included Unison, Unite, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), and the British Medical Association.
Following the talks, a Welsh Government spokesperson claimed that “without additional funding from the UK Government we are not able to make an increased pay offer without risking a reduction in services”.
“We recognise the difficult position of those who work in the NHS in Wales and the strength of feeling,” they said.
They added: “While we were unable to avert the forthcoming industrial action, all partners have agreed to keep talking and to continue to work together on key issues.”
Most NHS nurses Wales, England and Northern Ireland have been handed a £1,400 pay increase for 2022-23 – much lower than the 5% plus inflation rise the RCN has been calling for.
Fellow union Unison also hosted a day of strike action of nurses and health workers in Northern Ireland on Monday.
While Unison did not achieve a mandate for strike action in Wales, it is set to reballot some members in England where the turnout threshold was just missed. It currently has a mandate for nurse strikes in two Liverpool hospitals and in some ambulance services in England.
Meanwhile, it has been announced today that midwife and maternity support worker members of the RCM have voted to take industrial action over pay in Wales.
The ballot, which closed on Monday and received a 55% turnout, saw 95% of voting members back industrial action short of strike and 91% vote for action consisting of a strike.
In Scotland, strike plans have been paused after the government there provided an improved offer which would see staff receive pay rises ranging from £2,205 to £2,751, depending on their pay band. Unions are considering the offer and it has now been accepted by Unison and Unite.