I’m delighted to welcome Sheila Sobrany as our next President following the recent election. Sheila will formally step into the role as our outgoing President, Dr Denise Chaffer, steps down at the end of the month. I’d like to extend my warmest congratulations to Sheila and my greatest thanks to Denise. Sheila now embarks on an exciting journey, representing both the RCN and the nursing profession and I look forward to working closely with her during her two years in office.
In a matter of days, we will see the first planned UK-wide strike take place in our fight for fair pay and patient safety. Despite directly asking the Health Secretary for England on many occasions to meet me to begin serious negotiations, he has failed to accept and so we are left with no choice. This week Mr Barclay reiterated that he will not consider increasing pay for the nursing profession, so we will take action to make it clear that this is unacceptable.
Thousands of RCN members in locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to withdraw labour on 15 December. I will see many members on picket lines those days. This will be repeated on 20 December if the government sticks to its current position of inaction and avoidance. The new year will see yet more industrial action should ministers continue to ignore our reasonable calls for conversations around pay to begin.
I am open to meaningful discussions and I’m clear that strike action can be averted at any time.
The prospect of taking strike action may feel daunting. However, we have the processes and people to support you on strike days and in the times between. Striking can mean standing on a picket line with colleagues in an act of solidarity. It can also mean not going to work. You can support colleagues on a picket line by taking them food and warm drinks. You can show solidarity for those who are derogated to keep essential services running. , to support RCN members who will forgo a day’s wages to send a message to ministers.
Our members in Scotland this week started voting on the latest revised NHS pay offer from the Scottish government. While the offer remains below our expectations, we are not making a recommendation to members on how to vote in the consultative ballot.
It is right that our members should decide whether to accept or reject what the Scottish government says is their ‘best and final’ offer. I would urge all eligible members in Scotland to stay informed on the pay offer and use their vote before noon on Monday 19 December.
This week we heard that new official figures show a 10% fall in the number of students accepted onto UK nursing courses at universities. This is hugely concerning and there’s no doubt in my mind that people are being deterred from joining the profession due to low staffing levels and unfair pay.
Nursing students in higher education should have access to adequate financial support for tuition and the cost of living – and fair pay for the work they do. Until this happens, this decline in interest in the profession is likely to continue.
Finally this week, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) laid bare the dire situation facing the nursing profession in the UK. Compared to other countries in Europe, the pay of nursing staff in the UK has been falling in real terms not increasing in the last decade.
The report also revealed that in the most recent year of data available to the OECD, the pay of nursing staff in the UK ranks low compared with national average salaries, and the UK has officially lower wages than every other European and European Union country. A stark reminder of what we must redouble our efforts to address.
In a matter of days, we will see the first planned UK-wide strike take place in our fight for fair pay and patient safety. Despite directly asking the Health Secretary for England on many occasions to meet me to begin serious negotiations, he has failed to accept and so we are left with no choice. This week Mr Barclay reiterated that he will not consider increasing pay for the nursing profession, so we will take action to make it clear that this is unacceptable.
Thousands of RCN members in locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to withdraw labour on 15 December. I will see many members on picket lines those days. This will be repeated on 20 December if the government sticks to its current position of inaction and avoidance. The new year will see yet more industrial action should ministers continue to ignore our reasonable calls for conversations around pay to begin.
I am open to meaningful discussions and I’m clear that strike action can be averted at any time.
The prospect of taking strike action may feel daunting. However, we have the processes and people to support you on strike days and in the times between. Striking can mean standing on a picket line with colleagues in an act of solidarity. It can also mean not going to work. You can support colleagues on a picket line by taking them food and warm drinks. You can show solidarity for those who are derogated to keep essential services running. , to support RCN members who will forgo a day’s wages to send a message to ministers.
Our members in Scotland this week started voting on the latest revised NHS pay offer from the Scottish government. While the offer remains below our expectations, we are not making a recommendation to members on how to vote in the consultative ballot.
It is right that our members should decide whether to accept or reject what the Scottish government says is their ‘best and final’ offer. I would urge all eligible members in Scotland to stay informed on the pay offer and use their vote before noon on Monday 19 December.
This week we heard that new official figures show a 10% fall in the number of students accepted onto UK nursing courses at universities. This is hugely concerning and there’s no doubt in my mind that people are being deterred from joining the profession due to low staffing levels and unfair pay.
Nursing students in higher education should have access to adequate financial support for tuition and the cost of living – and fair pay for the work they do. Until this happens, this decline in interest in the profession is likely to continue.
Finally this week, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) laid bare the dire situation facing the nursing profession in the UK. Compared to other countries in Europe, the pay of nursing staff in the UK has been falling in real terms not increasing in the last decade.
The report also revealed that in the most recent year of data available to the OECD, the pay of nursing staff in the UK ranks low compared with national average salaries, and the UK has officially lower wages than every other European and European Union country. A stark reminder of what we must redouble our efforts to address.
