General secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Janet Davies, has issued an apology after it has emerged that some staff will not receive the 3% pay rise which was planned for July.
Ms Davies has said in an email to members that she is ‘angry’ and ‘dismayed’ that the pay deal was ‘not as straight forward as we said’.
‘In good faith, we told all members that they would receive a 3% uplift this summer. I now find that this is not the case for everyone.’
‘I can assure you that I am demanding answers for you. In the meantime, I can only apologise for this unnecessary confusion and assure you that I am determined to resolve it.’
The email was sent around to all members of the RCN in England.
An online petition has since been set up but outraged members of the RCN who have expressed no confidence in the RCN leadership and concerns about being misled over the pay deal.
The deal, which is supposed to amount to an increase of 6.5% over the next 3 years, should have seen an increase of 3% this July – followed by 1.7% in 2019 and another 1.7% in 2020.
‘I am disappointed by this communication and surprised as no concerns were raised with us,’ said Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers.
'While I do not recognise the account Ms Davies presents, clearly if there are concerns we will work with the RCN and all the NHS's trade unions to resolve them.’
However, in the NHS Pay Award: Guidance for RCN Representatives in England, issued last week and uploaded by Nursing Notes, clearly states the correct information regarding the pay increases.
It reveals that NHS staff at ‘the bottom point will see an increase of over 3%’ but the initial increase for most other staff ‘will typically be 1.5% until they reach their normal incremental pay date’.
Independent Nurse reached out to the RCN for comment, to which they replied: ‘Despite some delays to payments, over the three years the deal has to run, members will receive the full amount promised. RCN Council is meeting in the next few days to consider any new information we obtain that clears up this confusion.’