Nurses are striking in Wales on Thursday, December 12, for the first time in their history. The strike has come amidst a pay dispute between nursing union the RCN and the Welsh Government.
Nurses in Wales have been offered a £1,400 pay increase which would mean the biggest percentage rises for people at the start of their careers on the lowest incomes. But it is much lower than the 5% plus inflation rise which the RCN has been asking for.
People on the picket lines told WalesOnline they were not just striking about pay but also about working conditions and patient safety with one saying they are left in tears at the end of a difficult shift. See live updates here.
Read more: Live updates as nurses go on strike today in Wales for the first time
The RCN says nurses are "significantly worse off" than they were ten years ago and that the number of vacancies for registered nurses in NHS Wales has risen to an unprecedented 3,000. It said the union's dispute with the Welsh Government is about pay and patient safety with the high number of vacancies putting patients at risk. In July the lowest-paid nurses in Wales were offered a £1,400 flat pay increase, but unions have repeatedly argued this is not enough.
The union claims an experienced nurse has seen their pay decline by at least 20% in real terms due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010 and has asked for 5% above the RPI rate of inflation which stands at over 12%.
A Welsh Government's Health and Social Services Group document on the NHS Wales website shows nurses' current pay scale with starting salaries at £20,758 in Band 1, which is now closed to new entrants. Jobs in Bands 2/3/4 are usually for healthcare assistants, nurse associates, dental nurses and similar roles.
Newly qualified nurses usually enter the payscale at Band 5, with a £27k starting salary. Examples of jobs currently being advertised in Cardiff and the Vale health board at Band 5 include a theatre practitioner scrub nurse, a community nurse and a mental health nurse.
Jobs being advertised at band 6/7 include a staff nurse in paediatric critical care, a heart failure clinical nurse specialist, a team leader role in the acute response team, a nurse team leader and a clinical lead for the community mental health team. Jobs being advertised at band 8a include a senior midwife for fetal surveillance and a senior nurse in A&E while a band 8c job is being advertised for the deputy director of nursing. Band 9 roles are in senior management.
Research for nurses.co.uk found that the average wage for a nurse in the UK is between £33,000 and £35,000.
Here's how much nurses get paid in Wales:
Band 1: £20,758
Band 2: £20,758 - £21,318
Band 3: £21,730 - £23,177
Band 4: £23,949 - £26,282
Band 5: £27,055 - £29,180 (12,134 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 6: £33,706 - £40,588 (8,132 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 7: £41,659 - £47,673 (4,254 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 8a: £48,526 - £54,619 (864 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 8b: £56,164 - £65,262 (208 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 8c: £67,064 - £77,274 (127 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 8d: £79,592 - £91,787 (39 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Band 9: £95,135 - £109,475 (17 nurses at this grade in Wales)
Within bands, nurses can progress up the pay scale as they gain experience. In Band 2, 3 and 5, it takes two years until a nurse is eligible for pay progression. It takes two years to progress from Band 6 and 7's 'entry step point' to 'intermediate step point', which leads to a pay progression of £35,572 and £43,806, but three years to progress to the 'top step point' of £40,588 and £47,673.
In Band 4, it also takes three years until a nurse is eligible for a pay progression. In Band 8a and upwards it takes five years for a pay progression.
The Welsh Government said this week in response to the strike: "We recognise the difficult position of those who work in the NHS in Wales and the strength of feeling. However, without additional funding from the UK Government we are not able to make an increased pay offer without risking a reduction in services.
“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."
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