Nurses React To Public Sector Pay Announcement, UK

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 10 Jan 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Reacting to today's announcement by the Prime Minister that public sector workers, including nurses, could have their salaries set for three years rather than 12 months, Royal College of Nursing General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said;

"Irrespective of whether salaries are set for three years or 12 months, what nurses want and deserve is a fair deal. And given that mortgages, council tax, transport costs and energy bills are all on the rise right now, a fair deal for nurses is one that reflects the real cost of living."

"If we were to sign up to a long-term pay settlement in today's volatile economy we must have a mechanism that will protect the living standards of nurses from any future rises in inflation. What's right now may not be right in two years time."

"There are good multi-year deals and bad multi-year deals. The difference between the two depends on how much is on the table. So we await with interest the full details of what the government has in mind."

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.

Royal College of Nursing