RCM members accept NHS pay offer

By Hollie Ewers on 08 June 2018 Pay and Agenda For Change

Midwives and MSW members of the RCM have accepted the negotiated proposals for NHS Agenda for Change staff pay.

A large majority (85.7%) of respondents voted to accept the negotiated set of proposals for staff in the NHS in England.

The announcement follows a consultation with members by the RCM that closed at midnight last night. The RCM held more than 50 pay meetings across England during the consultation period.

The negotiated agreement is for England only but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will get the funding to negotiate at least as good a deal.

The RCM also consulted its members on this in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all indicated by over 75% that members were content for negotiations to take place in their respective countries based on the negotiated pay proposals for England.

RCM CEO Gill Walton said: ‘I am pleased that our members have accepted this offer. It means that midwives, MSWs and other NHS staff can start to recoup the losses of the last eight years. That’s a real increase as inflation falls to 2.4%. It also means an increase to starting salaries for new midwives who, let us not forget, will for the first time be burdened with significant student debt.  

“It is also important that apart from this significant pay increase we successfully fended off employer attempts to reduce unsocial hours payments and annual leave. This is the best deal in the public sector and the only one that is additionally funded, meaning it will not come out of existing NHS money."   

Gill added that this is not the end point but the beginning of the RCM and other health unions continuing to negotiate for the fair pay NHS staff deserve.