‘Double standard’ on wage rises prompts many nurses to consider quitting
Nurses expressed anger after research revealed a growing chasm between their wages and those of senior NHS managers.
A Freedom of Information Request by the Royal College of Nursing showed that pay for executive directors had increased by 6.1 per cent over the past two years, while earnings for nurses rose 1.6 per cent in the same period.
The findings, outlined in the RCN report 'All in it together? The Executive pay bill in England’s NHS', prompted many nurses to brand the situation “unfair” as they attended the college’s annual Congress meeting this week. RCN general secretary Peter Carter said that he could not rule out calls for industrial action from disenfranchised staff at the congress.
The report’s results contradict an earlier government decision to refuse a 1 per cent pay rise for all nurses, as recommended by an independent Pay Review Body, made on the basis that NHS trusts were acting responsibly and sensitively when setting senior pay.
However, questions have been raised over the meaning of the RCN’s figures as it includes termination payments, which could suggest a reduction in the numbers of executive directors rather than an overall rise in pay.
The Department of Health also said the numbers should be “treated with caution" because other data showed there was no increase.
"We have an available budget of nearly £1bn for pay increases. We have offered to look at any proposal the unions make on how to use this money,” a DoH spokesperson said. "However, they have not put forward any proposals to help the lowest paid. Our door remains open if they wish to reconsider their position.”
But, an RCN survey conducted in conjunction with its report showed that 96 per cent of nurses felt undervalued and underappreciated, with a similarly high percentage (83 per cent) saying the government’s decision to block the 1 per cent pay increase had caused anxiety about family finances and household bills.
A further 66 per cent said that the government’s decision had made them think seriously about leaving the NHS.
Carter said: “It’s extremely worrying that the government believes that trusts are acting responsibly when it’s clear many are failing to show the leadership they should on senior remuneration. There are some trusts and managers who have led by example and acted sensitively and they are to be commended.
“The government has maintained an iron grip on the pay and benefits of frontline staff while the senior managers pay bill has seemingly gone unchecked. This is the worst kind of double standard and makes a mockery of their insistence that fairness has been at the heart of their decision making on public sector pay.”
The RCN leader also urged the government to address “the crisis in nursing morale” adding that failure to pay staff a decent wage will have knock on effects for the whole of the NHS as people look for better paid and more attractive alternatives.