UK nurses suspend strikes but teachers sceptical of pay talks with ministers

LONDON – Nurses in Britain suspended further strikes, saying they are entering intensive talks with ministers in a move to unlock a dispute over pay, but teachers remained wary of a similar approach as the government suggested it has limited scope to raise wages next fiscal year.

Talks will begin on Wednesday between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

The move will relieve pressure on British Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak, who is grappling with labour unrest

across rail, health and the civil service.

Nurses were due to walk from March 1 until March 3, their most sustained action yet in a push for an increased pay offer.

“The government and Royal College of Nursing have agreed to enter a process of intensive talks. Both sides are committed to finding a fair and reasonable settlement,” the government and the RCN said in a joint statement.

“The talks will focus on pay, terms and conditions, and productivity-enhancing reforms,” they said.

On Tuesday the British government said workers across the public sector – including nurses, police officers, teachers and dentists – would be offered pay increases of 3.5 per cent for 2023 to 2024, a recommendation that will be considered by independent pay review bodies.

The Department for Education also said it had invited teaching unions in for talks. But the National Education Union said on Wednesday that it wouldn’t suspend strikes unless ministers explicitly said they’re prepared to discuss a raise for the current year – and a substantially higher increase than 3 per cent for next year.

Other labour groups were furious at the proposed 3.5 per cent pay increase for next year.

The Unite union called it a “sick joke” while the GMB, which also represents health workers, said it was “a disgrace” and also accused the government of trying to divide and rule by exclusively meeting the nurses’ union. 

Nurses were given a pay rise for the current fiscal year averaging between 4 per cent and 5 per cent, though Britain’s inflation has been in double digits for months.

They had demanded an increase of 5 percentage points above inflation as measured by the retail price index – which would have equalled an uplift of more than 19 per cent at the peak of inflation.

Trade-offs

Separately, a Health Department submission on Tuesday to the National Health Service Pay Review Body suggests that nurses face a battle to get a deal on wages for 2023 to 2024 that keeps pace with living costs.

Pay awards above 3.5 per cent “would require trade-offs for public service delivery or further government borrowing at a time when headroom against fiscal rules is historically low and sustainable public finances are vital in the fight against inflation”, the department said. 

An internal Treasury memo seen by Bloomberg said the government considers pay awards above 5 per cent to risk fuelling inflation.

The Treasury is telling departments to fund pay awards out of existing budgets, and they would not be given extra money for pay, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

Strikes from other health unions

such as doctors and ambulance workers are still planned for March, but the discussions with nurses could present a solution for these groups too. 

“Hopefully, it can pave the way for similar negotiations with other unions planning strikes,” NHS Providers chief executive Julian Hartley said in a statement. 

“The past weeks have seen a worrying escalation of industrial action, which has hit patients hard. Both sides being committed to finding a fair and reasonable settlement is the glimmer of hope we all needed.” BLOOMBERG