Marie Curie pay offer

This follows the rejection of two previous pay offers in 2021 and the most recent offer in May 2022, by Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members. Marie Curie's new offer is provided in their Strategic Reward Review document.

The RCN is therefore conducting a consultative ballot of all eligible members regarding the updated pay offer. This will open on 15 December 2022 and close at 5pm 4 January 2023. A consultative ballot is when RCN members are asked to tell us whether they support or oppose something an employer wants to do. If members vote to accept this offer, we will tell Marie Curie this. If members vote to reject the offer, we will seek to negotiate an improved offer with Marie Curie. This ballot is NOT a ballot over whether members should take Industrial Action.

The RCN has been campaigning for Fair Pay for Nursing and believe it is our members who should decide on any pay offer. The 2022-2023 offer from Marie Curie improves on the two offers rejected by RCN members in 2021 and the most recent offer in May 2022. These improvements have only come about because of the determination of RCN members. Therefore, it is only right that RCN members should have the final say on the offer.

The consultation runs from 9.00am 15h December 2022 until 5pm 4th Jan 2023. 

You can find more information about what this means for you in the RCN’s member consultation document and the Marie Curie pay offer document. Both documents are available on the weblink sent to eligible RCN members by Civica Election Services (CES). Members should read these documents to support their decision making. 

The result will be considered by the RCN Trade Union Committee, which are made up of your elected representatives from the RCN membership. They will agree the RCN’s formal response to the pay offer, that will be reported back to Marie Curie.

If RCN members vote to accept the offer, we will notify Marie Curie that RCN members accept the pay offer. If RCN members vote to reject the pay offer, we will seek to negotiate another improved offer with Marie Curie. We would then consult with members again on any new offer once it is made. 

This ballot is to decide whether members accept or reject the pay offer from Marie Curie. It is not a ballot on Industrial Action. If members vote to reject the pay offer, we will try to negotiate an improved offer on members behalf. We would then seek member views on any further offers through further consultative ballots. If we are unsuccessful in persuading Marie Curie to improve their offer further, or if members reject all further offers, then we would seek member views on how they would like to proceed.

Industrial Action is always a last resort. RCN members can only take Industrial Action if the majority of members vote in favour through a formal Industrial Action ballot and only if the statutory thresholds on turnout are met. 

This pay offer relates to all staff directly employed by Marie Curie. The impact of Marie Curie’s offer differs between staff in roles at band 7 and below and staff in roles equivalent to band 8a and above, so it is important that you read the offer document carefully. All RCN members employed by Marie Curie can participate in the RCN consultative ballot regardless of your pay band. 

This consultative ballot is a confidential ballot being conducted by Civica on behalf of the RCN. Neither the RCN nor Marie Curie will know which members voted in the ballot nor how they voted. At the close of the ballot Civica will inform the RCN how many members have voted in favour of accepting the pay offer and how many have voted to reject the offer. The RCN will then inform Marie Curie of this outcome.  

Yes, providing you are in RCN membership and are employed on a Marie Curie contract, you are eligible to take part in the consultative ballot on this pay offer. To update your details log in to MyRCN or call RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100 (select option one), or email membership@rcn.org.uk. You must include your membership number in your email, and you will be asked for it if you call. You can find out more about RCN membership and other ways to get in touch on our membership FAQs

Only staff directly employed on a Marie Curie contract are eligible to take part in the consultation. This is because the offer will change some of the terms and conditions of their current contract of employment. RCN student members who are directly employed on these terms and conditions, are eligible to take part in this consultation.

To ensure you are included, you must tell us your workplace and employer so that we can confirm you are eligible and then get the consultation sent to you. Please fill in your name, employer and workplace details on MyRCN or phone RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100. It is important to include as much information about your workplace and employer as possible.

All staff currently employed by Marie Curie, in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England are eligible to participate in the consultation. If you are no longer employed by Marie Curie then you will not be included in the ballot as you will not be affected by the employer’s offer.

If you have not received an email or a letter it might be that your details in the RCN membership database are not up to date. To update your details log in to MyRCN or call RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100 (select option one), or email membership@rcn.org.uk. You must include your membership number in your email, and you will be asked for it if you call.  

Agency workers not employed directly by the organisation are not eligible to participate in this consultation.  

Part-time workers are included in the pay offer and if the offer is accepted, they will receive the same percentage increases to their current wages as their full-time colleagues. Any increases to high cost area supplements as a result of this offer will be paid on a pro-rata basis. Any increase in annual leave as a result of this offer will also be on a pro-rata basis.

The new enhanced overtime rates included in Marie Curie’s offer will only apply when working over 37.5 hours in a week. If you are part time and work above your normal contracted hours but work less than 37.5 hours your additional hours will be paid at your normal hourly wage. 

The ballot will run from 9am on 15th December until 5pm on 4th January 2023. The consultative ballot will be administered by Civica Election Services (CES/Civica), an independent organisation. RCN members eligible to take part in the consultative ballot will receive an email from Civica (branded CES) with a link to the voting website where there will be information about the pay offer. This link will be unique to you and should not be shared with anyone else.

The email from Civica launching the ballot will be sent from 9am 15th December 2022 – remember to check your spam or junk mail folders.

The consultative ballot will close at 5pm on 4th January 2023. You will not be able to vote after this time.

RCN members who do not have a valid email address on their member record will be sent a letter with details of how to access the voting website.

Only RCN members employed by Marie Curie are eligible to take part in the consultative ballot on this pay offer.

To update your details, log in to MyRCN or call RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100 (select option one), or email membership@rcn.org.uk. You must include your membership number in your email, and you will be asked for it if you call. You can find out more about RCN membership and other ways to get in touch on our membership FAQs.

If you have issues accessing the voting website or lose your email or letter, please contact Civica on 020 8889 9203 or reply to the email address (RCN@cesvotes.com) from which the voting email comes.

If you believe you are eligible but have not received an email or letter, please contact RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100. 

The main points of the proposed offer for clinical staff are as follows:

Proposed Changes for all staff

Marie Curie’s occupational maternity pay and adoption pay will be increased for all members who take maternity or adoption leave in future and who are eligible for contractual maternity or adoption pay. Maternity and adoption pay rates will be increased to align with NHS AfC maternity and adoption pay (8 weeks at full pay, 18 weeks at 50% pay and 13 weeks at the statutory maternity or adoption pay rate).

Marie Curie previously proposed to introduce changes to the current sick pay scheme. This proposal has now been withdrawn, meaning that there are no proposed changes to the current sick pay scheme.

A new paid phased return to work from sick leave is being introduced.

Proposed Changes for Caring Services Clinical Roles

(A full list of Clinical and Clinical Support roles eligible for these changes can be found on page 20 of the Marie Curie proposal document)

Staff whose role is evaluated as being up to the equivalent of NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) Band 7, will have their pay aligned to the relevant NHS AfC pay rate.

The NHS pay uplifts for 2022-23 have only been set in England and Wales. When announcements are made in Scotland and Northern Ireland, by the relevant governments Marie Curie will backdate these pay awards for staff working in that country.

Staff whose role is evaluated as being the equivalent of an NHS AfC band 8a or above will not have their pay rates aligned with the relevant AfC pay rates. These members received a pay increase of 3.5%in July and are now being offered a further 5% uplift to their current rate of pay for 2022-23 and will have their pay increases in future years determined by Marie Curie.

All the above proposed increases to base pay are ‘consolidated’ pay rises meaning they would count towards pension contributions.

The process for aligning roles to the equivalent NHS AfC pay bands is currently underway. Staff will have the right of appeal against the outcome of this process, should they disagree with the AfC pay band they have been aligned to.

For Caring Services – clinical

Staff up to and including band 7 who work at unsocial times (nights, weekends, or bank holidays) will in future receive an enhanced rate that aligns with the NHS AfC enhancement rates for their country and band. These rates can be found in Marie Curie’s offer document.

Overtime rates for staff up to and including band 7 will be paid at basic rate, unless in exceptional circumstances, in which case it will be paid at a rate 50% higher than their base rate of pay (or 100% higher on bank holidays).

Staff up to and including band 7 who work in Inner London, Outer London or in the ‘Fringe’ areas will receive high-cost area supplements to their pay in line with NHS AfC rates. The levels of these supplements can be found in Marie Curie’s offer document.

Staff up to and including band 7 will receive an annual leave entitlement that aligns with NHS AfC annual leave entitlements. For most RCN members employed in Marie Curie hospices this will not be a change to their current amount of leave, but for most other RCN members this will mean they receive 2 more days annual leave per year (this will be pro rata for part-time staff). Previous NHS experience will now count towards annual leave entitlement calculations for all existing staff who are eligible and new employees – effective from the 1st of January 2023.

Although pay and most terms and conditions outlined above will be aligning with NHS AfC for members at band 7 and below, this offer does not include alignment to NHS AfC redundancy pay. Marie Curie are not offering to include their redundancy policy in this offer, this will remain less generous than NHS AfC.

Whilst these terms and conditions will align to many core terms and conditions of NHS AfC contracts, they will still be set and reviewed by Marie Curie. If the NHS announces any changes in any country to AfC terms and conditions, this will be reviewed by Marie Curie Executive Leadership Team and Trustees. 

The RCN recognise that this offer is a significant improvement on the offers made to members in 2021 by Marie Curie. This offer is the first to meet the priorities identified by members in the 2022 RCN member survey; it includes raising pay and unsocial hours rates to align with NHS AfC. The offer also contains uplifts to annual leave, high costs area allowances and maternity pay to align these areas with NHS AfC.

However, the RCN also recognise that a small number of RCN members in roles equivalent to band 8a and above will not benefit from all of these proposed increases. We also recognise that this offer does not include full alignment with NHS AfC sick pay or redundancy pay.

The RCN believes that all nurses and nursing support workers, wherever they work, deserve to receive pay, terms and conditions at least as favourable as those received by members working in the NHS.

The RCN are therefore not making a recommendation to members whether you should vote to accept or reject this offer.

It is for RCN members employed by Marie Curie to have the final say on this offer.  

If you have issues accessing the voting website or lose your email or letter, please contact Civica on 020 8889 9203 or reply to the email address (RCN@cesvotes.com) from which the voting email comes.

If you don’t see the email from Civica (RCN@cesvotes.com) in your inbox, remember to check your spam or junk mail folders.

If you have not received an email or a letter, it might be that your details in the RCN membership database are not up to date. To update your details log in to MyRCN or call RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100 (select option one), or email membership@rcn.org.uk. You must include your membership number in your email, and you will be asked for it if you call. You can find out more about RCN membership and other ways to get in touch on our membership FAQs.

This will not result in an immediate email with your link to vote in the ballot; your updated data will be confidentially and securely shared with Civica (the independent scrutineer) which will process and send new emails to vote. Please allow 3-5 days between you updating your details and you receiving your email to vote. Do keep checking your inbox for an email from RCN@cesvotes.com. 

The effect on an individual’s benefit depends on individual circumstances and the type of benefit. Members who are on means-tested benefits, such as universal credit, should consider the implications of Marie Curie pay offer before voting to reject or accept it in the RCN’s consultative ballot.

To check your benefit situation, call the Citizens Advice Helpline on 0800 144 8848 (England), 0800 028 1456 (Scotland), 0800 702 2020 (Wales), or 0800 915 4604 Northern Ireland Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Calls are free.  

The pay offer is a gross (total) figure, and you need to take deductions into account when considering the pay offer.

Pay is subject to tax, national insurance contributions and, if you are a member of a pension scheme, pension contributions. You should check your current income tax, national insurance rates and pension contributions on your pay slip to assess how the pay offer will affect your take-home pay.

Rises in pensionable pay are also subject to increases in pension deductions. Find out more about pension contributions here. 

Members of pension schemes pay a proportion of their wages into their pension, as does their employer. The pension that members in the NHS Pension Scheme receive is determined by their career average salary or final salary (depending on which section of the scheme you belong to). The pension that members of most other schemes receive is determined by how much is paid into this pension and how it is invested by the pension provider. For most members in any pension schemes, receiving a higher wage may to lead to a larger pension, but exactly what the impact of this pay offer will be will depend on individual members’ circumstances.

The RCN cannot give members individual advice on the impact of this pay offer on their pension. Members who wish to know more about their pension should consult their pension provider in the first instance and then take up financial advice if necessary.