Will Protests This Summer Change The 3% Pay Rise Offered To Nurses in England?

Nurses have reacted with "utter dismay" at the Government's proposed 3% pay increase. NHS staff claim they are facing a "massive haemorrhage" of workers following the pandemic and described the proposal as insulting.

On Friday 30th July, hundreds of medical workers marched to Downing Street in protest of the proposed pay deal. Demonstrators gathered outside St Thomas' hospital in central London before making their way to Whitehall via Westminster bridge.

In addition, the RCN is to launch what it calls a ‘summer of action’ in protest against the below-inflation NHS pay award.

What chance do you think protests will have in persuading the government to amend its pay offer?

The UK government, after months of delays, finally announced the NHS pay increase of 3% for England.

The concern the nursing unions have, is that with inflation, the 3% award is a pay cut in real-terms and would leave experienced staff up to £200 a year worse off.

The ‘summer of action’ is in response to a new poll, conducted by the RCN, showing a majority (51%) of the public think the 3% pay rise is too little and 62% say there are too few nurses to provide safe care.

Do you think that an increased pay offer would in and of itself result in improved levels of care?In a further development, the RCN condemned the news that the 3% pay award in England would not be fully funded. Instead, it would have to come from existing NHS budgets that were already earmarked for services.

The RCN had been arguing for a fully-funded 12.5% pay increase for all nursing staff covered by Agenda for Change terms as part of a one-year deal, applying equally across all bands.

How realistic do you think the demand for a 12.5% pay rise was, and should the Government be willing to negotiate on its 3% offer, or at least commit to fully-funding it?

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “We know this award will not be enough to prevent an exodus of exhausted NHS nursing staff and ministers must now be honest about the impact this would have on patient care.”

She added: “The government is failing to give the NHS the money it truly needs…If ministers ignore the voice of nursing, they ignore the voice of patients – and that is something we, as nurses, will never allow.”

Is more money going to solve the NHS’ problems, or are there deeper more fundamental issues that need addressing to ensure any increase in funding is effective?The union Unison called for a £2,000 pay increase for all NHS staff. Having stated the 3% pay award as “unacceptable”, Unison is beginning to consult NHS workers on whether they wanted to accept the 3% pay rise or oppose it, possibly with industrial action.

Do you think nurses going out on strike would resonate favourably with the public, or would it be counter-productive, particularly given the damage inflicted on jobs and businesses in the private sector that ultimately fund the NHS through taxation?

In Wales, a pay award has also been set at 3%, but nurses in Scotland will receive a 4% pay increase, in line with the pay deal agreed by the Scottish Government for NHS workers in the country.

However, nurses in Northern Ireland are still waiting for news on a pay deal in their country.

Please let us know what you think in the comments. Will a summer of protests stand any chance of getting the Government to amend its pay offer?

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