Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Wales have voted to reject the 2024-25 Agenda for Change pay deal, while their counterparts in the union Unison have accepted it.
The two unions are the latest to announce the results of the ballots they have conducted with their members to seek their views on the 5.5% pay award implemented by the Welsh Government this year.
“After years of underpayment, this award fails to match the safety-critical nature of their work and the extensive skills they bring to the NHS”
Helen Whyley
While members of RCN Wales voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer, Unison’s nursing staff in Wales voted by more than two-thirds to accept it.
In September, the devolved Welsh Government announced that it would meet the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body and provide Agenda for Change staff with a 5.5% pay rise for 2024-25
This deal is the same as that received in England and Scotland.
Unions representing nurses and midwives in Wales then launched consultative ballots to find out if staff approved of the rise. However, the deal is being implemented regardless of union approval.
At the end of last week, Unison Wales – which represents some nurses, nursing support workers and midwives – announced that 68% of its members had voted in favour of the deal.
Head of health Tanya Bull said staff felt the deal was a “step in the right direction”, but criticised the long delay.
This pay deal was supposed to be implemented by the start of the financial year in April.
Ms Bull added: “The delay in getting staff the extra money has been unnecessary and frustrating. There are recruitment and retention problems across the NHS in Wales.
“This pay round has shown that the existing process for setting wages is outdated, not fit for purpose and should be scrapped in favour of direct talks. These must be held as soon as possible.”
Then today, RCN Wales revealed that its members had voted by almost three-quarters (72%) to reject the 5.5% pay increase.
The union said that the result showed that its members in Wales “decisively believe” that the award was not good enough.
Helen Whyley, RCN Wales executive director, said following the result being published: “Our members have spoken loudly and clearly: nursing staff in Wales know their worth.
“After years of underpayment, this award fails to match the safety-critical nature of their work and the extensive skills they bring to the NHS.
“With the NHS in Wales in a fragile state, it is imperative that the Welsh Government commits to valuing nursing staff to strengthen recruitment and retention, which will, in turn, improve patient care.”
Helen Whyley
Ms Whyley called on Mark Drakeford, current cabinet secretary for health and social care and former first minister, to begin “urgent” talks to achieve pay restoration for nursing staff in Wales.
“We urge the Welsh Government to recognise that fair pay is essential to sustaining this essential workforce,” she added.
These two unions’ results demonstrate further a split in opinion towards the pay award among the nursing workforce.
In October, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Wales’ members narrowly voted to reject the what they called an “unacceptable” pay deal.
Unite Wales accepted it, but the leadership said more must be done to improve the Agenda for Change system.
In England, meanwhile, Unite, GMB, Unison and the RCM voted in favour of the award.
However, RCN members in England voted by a margin of around two-thirds to reject it.
Scottish nursing staff in the RCN, RCM, Unite and Unison all voted to accept the deal.
Despite this, even the unions across England, Scotland and Wales which accepted the pay award made it clear that they expect to see improvements to pay, terms and working conditions for nursing staff in the near future.
Northern Irish nurses, however, have yet to be told about a 2024-25 pay award.
Following the publication of the Unison and RCN votes, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We greatly value Wales’ nursing workforce, which does so much to look after and provide life-saving and life-changing care for people, often in very pressured circumstances.
“We accepted the independent pay review body recommendations for NHS Agenda for Change staff in full and continue to work with the UK Government on how to progress the recommendation on Agenda for Change pay structures.”
The spokesperson added that retention and recruitment were both important issues that the government was taking seriously.
They further said: “We continue to work with employers and unions to deliver the working environment and conditions our NHS staff deserve and need to continue providing high-quality care for the people of Wales.”
