Nurses in Northern Ireland to ballot on industrial action

Health Minister Simon Hamilton has said a one-off payment, worth around £300 to the majority of health care workers, and described it as a fair deal.

Announcing the pay award last week, Mr Hamilton praised “hard work and commitment” of health workers and said he would have preferred an agreed settlement during talks with unions.

However, he added: “The pay demands made by the trade unions would cost my department’s budget close to £40 million and are simply unaffordable in current circumstances. The pressures facing Northern Ireland’s health service have been well publicised, and £40 million would equate to the full extra resource being directed towards tackling waiting lists.”

“The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) wants the one per cent increase added to salaries in the same way it would be in other parts of the UK, and said nurses in the province are financially worse off than their counterparts in both England and Scotland.

Following a meeting of the RCN’s Northern Ireland board yesterday, director Janice Smyth said its members would be balloted on industrial action short of strike action.

“Board members considered the imposed pay award, the manner in which the minister made this announcement and the tone of the announcement.

“Nurses are angry and frustrated that the minister has singled out nurses when the pay award applies to 50,000 health and social care staff and perceive that he has blatantly misrepresented the situation in relation to nurses’ pay.”

Ms Smyth added: ““The Royal College of Nursing is disappointed at the lack of leadership and respect demonstrated by the minister in relation to HSC staff pay.

“Today, members of the RCN Northern Ireland Board voted unanimously to consult RCN Council seeking authorisation to ballot RCN members in Northern Ireland in relation to the imposed pay award announced by the Minister and taking industrial action short of strike action.”