Nursing Pay in Wales

RCN Wales reject NHS pay offer, nursing strikes to go ahead despite acceptance from other unions

We remain in dispute with the Welsh government after RCN Wales members rejected the pay offer. RCN Wales has written to the Minister for Health & Social Services, Eluned Morgan, seeking to urgently re-enter negotiations.

Read our member news story here .

NHS Wales pay offer 2022/23 and 2023/24

Update 10 May 2023

RCN Wales announces further strike action after members reject latest NHS pay offer in Wales

RCN Wales has written to the Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan, calling for an immediate return to negotiations. If talks do not resume, strikes will take place on 6 and 7 June and 12 and 13 July.

The results of the ballot showed a majority decision to reject the offer.

Background to the 2022/23 and 2023/34 pay offer announced on 20 April 2023:

The offer is as follows:

For 2022/23

Already implemented:

• £1,400 for most pay grades

• An additional 3% announced earlier this year
- 1.5% consolidated increase (backdated to April 2022)
- 1.5% non-consolidated payment.

Further offer announced on 20 April 2023:

• A one-off NHS recovery payment for both substantive staff and bank workers, with an average value of 3% across bands paid in a sliding scale. At the top of band 5, this equals a further £1,005.

For 2023/24

• A 5% consolidated increase with effect from April 2023.

• In addition the bottom two pay points will be increased to match the salary of a top of Band 2 which equates to a 7.8% increase for 2023-24.

The offer also includes a commitment from the Welsh government to the principle of pay restoration to 2008 levels and a list of non-pay elements including career progression for nurses, paid time to undertake professional development and the implementation of the nurse retention plan.

Read the Welsh Government written statement: NHS Pay award enhancement for 2022/2023 and 2023/24.

We’ve been campaigning for an NHS pay rise of 5% above inflation, to help address the cost-of-living crisis, encourage people to join and stay in the nursing profession and begin to restore a decade of underpayment.

Read our submission to the Pay Review Body

We make the case for a pay uplift 5% above inflation and explore the ongoing impact of the pandemic, the staffing crisis facing the profession and the spiralling cost of living.

Fair Pay for Nursing campaign

The RCN Fair Pay For Nursing campaign is about:

recognising the complexity of skill, responsibility and experience demonstrated every day, by nursing support workers, assistant practitioners, registered nurses and all members of the profession.
making sure that a safety critical profession can reach safe staffing levels and fill tens of thousands of unfilled nursing jobs.
recognising that the salaries of too many nursing professionals has not kept pace with increases to their living costs over the past decade.

Ultimately, it's about providing safe and effective care for all people of the United Kingdom.

The Fair Pay for Nursing campaign aims to secure significant pay increase for all nursing staff covered by Agenda for Change terms. Nursing deserves a pay rise that is 5% above inflation, as part of a one-year deal fully funded by HM Treasury rather than repurposing existing NHS Wales funds, that applies equally to all NHS nursing staff at all Agenda for Change pay bands.

The Fair Pay for Nursing campaign aims to secure a pay increase that is 5% higher than the cost of living.

Costs have been spiralling at an unaffordable rate and are set to continue rising.

RCN Wales has submitted supplementary evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body for 2022 alongside the RCN's UK-wide evidence.

The Welsh Government’s response will indicate what it believes nursing staff who work outside of the NHS deserve too. We are clear that there must be parity of pay and other terms and conditions for all nursing staff, regardless of employer.

Health is devolved, and funding our health and care system is a political choice. The Welsh Government should make the right choice now.