Union members in Wales will decide if to accept or reject the pay offer.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has cancelled its strike action in Wales next week following a new NHS pay offer.
The offer is for an additional 1.5% in the current financial year, followed by another 1.5% one-off payment on top of a future pay award. For the majority of registered nurses, this will equate to around an additional £500 on top of the £1,400 annual rise earlier this year, followed by a single £500 one-off payment.
Union members in Wales will decide if to accept or reject the pay offer.
It comes as negotiations in Scotland continue, leaving Westminster as the only government refusing to enter meaningful talks over nurses’ pay.
Strike action in England on Monday (6 February) and Tuesday (7 February) will escalate, with action at 73 NHS trusts compared to 44 in December and 55 in January.
Talking seriously.
RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “If the other governments can negotiate and find more money for this year, the Prime Minister can do the same.
“Rishi Sunak has no place left to hide. His unwillingness to help nursing staff is being exposed as a personal choice, not an economic necessity.
“Again, we are making good on our commitment to cancel strikes when ministers negotiate and make pay offers to our members. First in Scotland and now in Wales too.
“If the Prime Minister decides to leave England’s nursing staff as the lowest paid in the UK, he must expect this strike to continue. He can still turn things around before Monday – start talking seriously and the strikes are off.”
According to the union, the value of salaries for experienced nurses today are 20% lower in real terms due to successive below-inflation pay awards since 2010.
