Pay progress in Northern Ireland delayed until after autumn budget

Unions have said their members are “extremely frustrated” at the ongoing lack of pay award in the country and will be keeping all options open regarding further action.

“Our members here have had no progress on pay this year”

Karen Murray

It comes as nurses and other Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland have still not been given a pay offer for 2024-25, despite their NHS counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales all being awarded a 5.5% uplift.

The pay deal was due on 1 April and is now six months delayed.

Health unions have been demanding pay talks with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to try and get an offer on the table.

They met last week with health minister Mike Nesbitt in their first engagement regarding the pay award.

It concluded with an agreement that the collective trade unions would meet with the minister again in November after the UK Government publishes its autumn budget.

The Treasury will announce the autumn budget on 30 October, in which it will confirm funding allocations for devolved pay awards.

In a statement, Mr Nesbitt said: “I am already on record as being supportive, in principle, of the recommendations set out.

“However, given the severe financial constraints placed upon my department, it is not possible, at the current time, to make a final decision on the acceptance of the review body recommendations for this year.

“I will continue to make the case to executive colleagues for additional financial allocations that would allow me to implement a pay award in line with the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body and Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration for 2024-25.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) was one of the unions that attended the meeting.

Rita Devlin, executive director of RCN Northern Ireland, said: “We have made it clear that nursing staff are extremely frustrated that despite previous assurances that we would not go out of pay parity with colleagues in other parts of the UK, once again, we find ourselves waiting for a pay award in Northern Ireland.”

Historically, nurses in Northern Ireland have been the last in the UK to receive annual pay increases.

In previous years, the delays have led to strike action by nurses and other healthcare workers in the country.

Ms Devlin noted that the pay deal was now six months overdue, and said the union was “keeping all options regarding further action open”.

Meanwhile, Unison Northern Ireland also attended the meeting.

In a statement, the union said it had pressed for engagement with Mr Nesbitt as there was “still no clarity or certainty” about pay for HSC staff in the country.

“We clearly set out our frustration with the continuing time lag for health pay movement,” it added.

Also in attendance was the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

The union aired concerns about how the overdue pay rise would be funded, noting that the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, had said there will be no “new money” available.

RCM director for Northern Ireland, Karen Murray, said: “We are at a stage now whereby members in England and Scotland will be receiving their uplift during October and November, but our members here have had no progress on pay this year.

“We have met with the minster alongside other health service trade unions and expressed our frustration and called again for pay parity to be maintained.”

She added: “Pay is a crucial lever in retaining staff and given the current pressures facing midwifery staff across Northern Ireland, what we don’t want to see is staff leaving services, but right now some are considering doing just that because they don’t feel valued.”