Nurses in Wales have announced two further strike dates in February in an ongoing pay row. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will strike for 12 hours on February 6 and 7 unless a new pay offer is put on the table by Welsh Government.
The union said on Monday its decision came after talks between its representatives and Cardiff Bay ministers failed to resolve the dispute. Health minister Eluned Morgan met with nine health unions last week to discuss a possible one-off payment, which unions said was "not sufficient" to address long-term issues with low pay and staff shortages.
Nurses in Wales staged two days of industrial action on December 15 and 20, the first time in history they have done so. NHS staff in Wales have been offered a pay rise of between 4% and 5.5%, but unions are fighting for an increase closer to inflation, which is currently around 10% and at a 40-year high.
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RCN Wales said it would carry out strikes for 12 hours on both February 6 and 7 if progress was not made in negotiations by the end of January. It said the value of salaries for experienced nurses today was 20% lower in real terms due to below-inflation pay awards since 2010, resulting in over 3,000 vacancies for registered nurses in the NHS in Wales.
Helen Whyley, RCN Wales director, said: “I hoped that the Welsh Government would change their approach and come back to the table to negotiate with the RCN seriously on NHS pay and offer a substantive and restorative pay award. This has not happened to date. Their offer of a non-consolidated one-off payment, funded by monies ‘found down the back of the sofa’ shows the Welsh Government's disrespect for the crisis in the nursing workforce and a lack of a real commitment to want to address it.
"RCN Wales members have been left without a choice, we will be taking strike action on February 6 and 7. Nursing staff are striking for patient safety, for the future of nursing, and to save the NHS in Wales. We stand beside our members in their call to our government here in Wales for fair pay. Enough really is enough.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We recognise and respect the strength of feeling among nurses, which has been expressed through the decision to take further industrial action. The health minister had a constructive meeting with all health unions last week and we are waiting to hear whether they are willing to continue discussion on the package of measures set out.
“We will continue to work to bring together trade unions, employers and government to deliver the best possible outcomes for staff, while continuing to call on the UK government to use the funding it has to provide a fair pay offer to NHS staff and enable us to do the same in Wales.”
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