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voice heard and we urge them to vote “yes” to strike action.’ The pay row has been growing since Almost two thirds of nurses are March, when health secretary Jeremy prepared to take industrial action Hunt rejected the recommendation over pay, a major Nursing Standard by the independent NHS Pay Review poll reveals. Body to award a 1 per cent cost of Our UK-wide survey of almost living increase to all staff on the 6,000 nurses exposes the anger felt Agenda for Change pay system. by a profession facing stagnant wages Mr Hunt’s decision to award only and a rising cost of living. those nurses at the top of their pay band, Eighty-four per cent of respondents who are not due an increment, the 1 per told us their current salary does not reflect their hard work. And 63 per cent cent rise as a one-off payment means 70 per cent of nurses and midwives in said they would consider action short England missed out on the pay increase. of a strike over pay, while 33 per cent It will be the first time in the RCM’s said they were in favour of a full strike. history the college has balloted for The results come as four health action. RCM director for employment unions – the Royal College of relations Jon Skewes told Nursing Midwives (RCM), Unison, Unite and Standard: ‘This the GMB – begin survey shows the balloting more WE URGE NURSES disillusionment felt than 400,000 TO VOTE ‘YES’ TO by staff across the NHS members in STRIKE ACTION NHS at the way England over pay. – Gail Adams the government is The unions treating them.’ say members, The RCN says it has no current including nurses and midwives, plans to ballot members over industrial are angry at the government’s action, and has instead urged nurses to ‘insulting’ refusal to give all NHS staff a 1 per cent cost of living pay rise. lobby their MP on the pay issue. A Department of Health spokesperson said the department was Widespread anger disappointed the ballots were going Ballots will be held throughout this ahead, and that there was still time for month, with any action likely to take unions to negotiate. place in the autumn and winter. NHS Employers has issued a plea Unison head of nursing Gail Adams to unions to give employers the results said: ‘This survey is a timely reminder of their ballots as soon as possible so of just how angry nurses are feeling. contingency plans can be put in place. The government is undervaluing the The organisation wants more contribution nurses, midwives and than the statutory minimum of seven healthcare assistants make not only days’ notice of any action so care can to health care, but society as a whole.’ be planned. She added: ‘We are giving our See pages 14-15 members the chance to make their Exclusive by Kat Keogh
ALAMY
Nurses are ready to take action over pay, survey results show @katkeogh
STAFF BATTLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET Some nurses are resorting to selling their possessions and taking payday loans as they struggle to survive on their salaries, our poll reveals. One in four nurses who responded to our survey said they had taken out a loan because of financial hardship, while 2 per cent had resorted to food banks to feed themselves and their families. A nurse told Nursing Standard her family had been homeless for the past year because their house had been repossessed. ‘As a single mum with two kids I could not afford the mortgage repayments,’ she said. The government’s decision not to award nurses in England a pay rise follows a two-year pay freeze in 2010-12, and a 1 per cent rise in 2013. Unions say stalling wages and higher living costs mean nurses have endured a real-terms pay cut of 9 per cent since 2010. Nurses told us they had taken out payday loans and were working extra shifts to keep their ‘heads above water’, while others admitted borrowing money from family and friends in times of need. One respondent said: ‘Loans are the worst, extra charges cause extra worries. I see no future.’
NURSING september 3 :: vol no 1 permission. :: 2014 7 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 22, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses29 without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Share your news with us – email [email protected], call +44 (0)20 8872 3144 or @NurseStandard
voice heard and we urge them to vote “yes” to strike action.’ The pay row has been growing since Almost two thirds of nurses are March, when health secretary Jeremy prepared to take industrial action Hunt rejected the recommendation over pay, a major Nursing Standard by the independent NHS Pay Review poll reveals. Body to award a 1 per cent cost of Our UK-wide survey of almost living increase to all staff on the 6,000 nurses exposes the anger felt Agenda for Change pay system. by a profession facing stagnant wages Mr Hunt’s decision to award only and a rising cost of living. those nurses at the top of their pay band, Eighty-four per cent of respondents who are not due an increment, the 1 per told us their current salary does not reflect their hard work. And 63 per cent cent rise as a one-off payment means 70 per cent of nurses and midwives in said they would consider action short England missed out on the pay increase. of a strike over pay, while 33 per cent It will be the first time in the RCM’s said they were in favour of a full strike. history the college has balloted for The results come as four health action. RCM director for employment unions – the Royal College of relations Jon Skewes told Nursing Midwives (RCM), Unison, Unite and Standard: ‘This the GMB – begin survey shows the balloting more WE URGE NURSES disillusionment felt than 400,000 TO VOTE ‘YES’ TO by staff across the NHS members in STRIKE ACTION NHS at the way England over pay. – Gail Adams the government is The unions treating them.’ say members, The RCN says it has no current including nurses and midwives, plans to ballot members over industrial are angry at the government’s action, and has instead urged nurses to ‘insulting’ refusal to give all NHS staff a 1 per cent cost of living pay rise. lobby their MP on the pay issue. A Department of Health spokesperson said the department was Widespread anger disappointed the ballots were going Ballots will be held throughout this ahead, and that there was still time for month, with any action likely to take unions to negotiate. place in the autumn and winter. NHS Employers has issued a plea Unison head of nursing Gail Adams to unions to give employers the results said: ‘This survey is a timely reminder of their ballots as soon as possible so of just how angry nurses are feeling. contingency plans can be put in place. The government is undervaluing the The organisation wants more contribution nurses, midwives and than the statutory minimum of seven healthcare assistants make not only days’ notice of any action so care can to health care, but society as a whole.’ be planned. She added: ‘We are giving our See pages 14-15 members the chance to make their Exclusive by Kat Keogh
ALAMY
Nurses are ready to take action over pay, survey results show @katkeogh
STAFF BATTLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET Some nurses are resorting to selling their possessions and taking payday loans as they struggle to survive on their salaries, our poll reveals. One in four nurses who responded to our survey said they had taken out a loan because of financial hardship, while 2 per cent had resorted to food banks to feed themselves and their families. A nurse told Nursing Standard her family had been homeless for the past year because their house had been repossessed. ‘As a single mum with two kids I could not afford the mortgage repayments,’ she said. The government’s decision not to award nurses in England a pay rise follows a two-year pay freeze in 2010-12, and a 1 per cent rise in 2013. Unions say stalling wages and higher living costs mean nurses have endured a real-terms pay cut of 9 per cent since 2010. Nurses told us they had taken out payday loans and were working extra shifts to keep their ‘heads above water’, while others admitted borrowing money from family and friends in times of need. One respondent said: ‘Loans are the worst, extra charges cause extra worries. I see no future.’
NURSING september 3 :: vol no 1 permission. :: 2014 7 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 22, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses29 without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
