RCM launches pay survey for members in England and Wales
By Gemma Murphy on 27 August 2021 Midwives NHS Staff MSWs - Maternity Support Workers NHS Pay Review Body Pay Pay and Agenda For Change
Today the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has launched a pay survey for members in England and Wales to gauge its members’ views on the recent pay settlement.
Members in both countries have been given a 3% pay increase through the Pay Review Body (PRB) process, which they will receive in the coming weeks, but in the interim the RCM wants to hear what its members think about their pay award.
Unlike in Scotland, where a pay increase was achieved through collective bargaining and negotiation, in England and Wales pay is decided by the PRB process. The Government delayed making any announcement on pay until 21 July, when they announced that midwives, maternity support workers and all NHS staff in England and Wales would receive a 3% pay award backdated to April of this year.
Commenting, the RCM’s Executive Director of External Relations and one of the lead negotiators for NHS Unions, Jon Skewes, said:
“Through the RCM’s evidence to the Pay Review Body and our campaigning work we managed to secure 2% more than the 1% originally proposed by the Government. We had hoped that the pay settlement would be backdated to December last year, but that hasn’t happened in England or Wales. Our members have waited long enough for this pay award, so we have also been pushing for that to paid as quickly as possible. Long term we are concerned that this settlement is not enough to counteract vacancies and prevent staff from leaving the profession for good.”
RCM members will receive more information about the survey directly through member emails and can also complete the survey on the RCM’s website in the dedicated pay hub. Those members not currently receiving fortnightly emails from the RCM should check their preferences in the RCM online portal to ensure they’re not missing out on important information.
During September the RCM will also host virtual NHS pay Q&A sessions which will members an opportunity to ask questions about how the pay settlement will directly impact them. The employment relations team will be there to answer any concerns and the first session takes place on 1 September
RCM’s Employment Relations Advisor, Alice Sorby says;
“Because this is a pay award that will be implemented automatically, we aren’t asking members to vote to accept or reject this pay award. However, we are really keen to hear how our members feel about their pay increase. That’s why we have created this brief survey, containing just two questions and we are encouraging as many members as possible to spare five minutes to complete it. It’s crucial we gather the views of all our members in deciding the next steps for our pay campaign. We are also looking forward to meeting with as many members as possible during our pay sessions in September.”