Health unions to ballot members on new pay offer

Image source, Pacemaker

Image caption, Healthcare workers were among those who took part in a mass strike on 18 January over pay

Unions representing healthcare workers in Northern Ireland are to ballot their members on a pay deal.

The proposed settlement would see the restoration of pay parity with England, and includes an uplift of 5% and a one-off payment of £1,505.

Unison, which represents thousands of workers, said months of industrial action had “finally yielded a result”.

Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed the news as “a positive step” towards reaching a pay settlement.

“I commend the constructive negotiations that have taken place with trade unions,” he said.

“Staff are the backbone of health and social care services and deserve to be properly rewarded for their work.”

He said pay settlements for 2023/24 were “long overdue, having been delayed by political and budgetary instability”, adding pay would be backdated to April 2023.

‘Considerable step forward’

Speaking to BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster, Patrick Mulholland from NIPSA said that the move was a “considerable step forward”.

However, there are still “loose ends that are not tied up; one around the issue of mileage and one around safe staffing”, he continued.

“We want to see strike action come to an end, but we are preparing for further strike action if it is necessary.”

Mr Mulholland said the pay deal is significant in itself, but in the wider context of public sector pay “it is the first rung in the ladder”.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said it recognised progress had been made but was “extremely disappointed” the one-off payment fell short of what nurses in England received.

‘Strikes yielded result’

A spokesperson for Unison said: “Six days of strike action and 15 months of working to rule by health workers have finally yielded a result.

“Health workers have had to contend with rising prices and the emergence of a cost-of-living crisis.

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Health Minister Robin Swann said staff are the “backbone of health and social care services”

“The absence of devolved government and the decision of the secretary of state to withhold funding deeply frustrated workers.”

The union said it wished to recognise “the action of Minister Swann to react swiftly to the crisis”.

However, it said that “pay parity with England on pay bands… still leaves Northern Ireland health workers in third place behind Scotland and Wales”.

Rita Devlin, RCN director, said: “Hard-working nursing staff have been waiting a very long time for the pay situation to be resolved here, showing patience and resilience despite worsening conditions in the health service.

“While we recognise that there has been progress on this issue, many will be disheartened at not receiving the same amount as nursing staff across England. For some, this will leave them hundreds of pounds out of pocket.”

Last year, nurses in England were offered a 5% pay rise and a one-off settlement of at least £1,655.

The RCN said it would be consulting members on the proposed pay settlement “shortly”.

Unite said it was “encouraging members to vote yes to accept this pay offer and end the pay dispute”.

“This offer ensures pay parity with NHS workers in England and Wales and will address safe staffing,” Brenda Stevenson from the union said.

On 18 January, nurses, midwives and healthcare workers took part along with other public sector workers in the largest strike in Northern Ireland for 50 years.

The result of the ballot would see junior doctors taking part in a 24-hour walkout from 6 to 7 March.