Commenting on this development, Rita Devlin, Director of the RCN in Northern Ireland said:
“Nursing staff working in Northern Ireland have been angry and frustrated at the continuing lack of clarity in relation to a pay offer for health care staff in Northern Ireland alongside the worsening conditions being experienced by both patients and staff across all areas of health and social care.
“Following a meeting earlier this week with the Department of Health we were no further forward and requested a meeting with the Secretary of State as a matter of urgency. We are pleased that Chris Heaton-Harris has now agreed to meet the RCN and other health unions.
“It is clear that the absence of devolved institutions is having a devastating impact, not only on the staff who are working hard to deliver health and social care to the people of Northern Ireland, but on the services themselves, many of which face uncertainty due to the continuing political impasse. It is a scandal that here we are on 31 March – the end of the financial year – with no budget for health and no pay rise for health workers.
“Last year RCN members in Northern Ireland voted alongside colleagues in England and Wales to take strike action over pay. We are clear that it will be completely unacceptable to our members if they are not offered at least the same pay award as nursing staff working in England. Falling out of pay parity was exactly why our members first took strike action in 2019 and they will not be prepared to accept this again.
“If this situation is not resolved urgently, we will be considering what further action, including strike, we must take to ensure our members are not left behind again.”
