RCM seeks views from its members in Northern Ireland on pay
By Gemma Murphy on 03 February 2022 Pay NHS Pay Review Body Northern Ireland RCM Northern Ireland Midwives MSWs - Maternity Support Workers RCM RCM Member RCM Branches
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling on all midwives and maternity support workers in Northern Ireland to have their say on a pay as it launches a survey on the recent pay settlement. The views of members are crucial to informing the direction of its Deliver a Decent Deal pay campaign for 2022/23.
In December, after much delay, Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann announced he would implement a 3% pay award for RCM members in Northern Ireland. The pay increase was recommended by the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) some time ago and is on par with what RCM members in England received.
At the time the RCM said 3% was the very least its members deserved. Following that initial settlement, which members received in their January pay, the RCM continued to lobby to see if any further enhancement could be found to improve on the initial award. On 19 January, the RCM together with other trade unions met with Minister Swann and were informed of an additional £25 million being made available through ministerial direction to enhance the original settlement. RCM members will now receive an additional non-consolidated increase in April.
Commenting, RCM’s National Officer for Northern Ireland Mary Caddell said:
“Throughout its discussions on pay, the RCM wanted a settlement that would benefit all our members irrespective of their pay band and we are pleased to have achieved this. Our work with the other trade unions in Northern Ireland has been key in ensuring that the Minster found a system of reward that would work for all NHS staff.
“We are now really keen to hear the views of all our members in Northern Ireland. We want to know how you feel about the recent pay settlement and if you are satisfied. So, I’m urging all our members to take our quick survey. Your views really matter and will inform the focus and direction of our 2022/23 pay campaign.”
With NHS pay awards and settlements having been made to RCM members in all four countries, and the fact that they are all one-year deals the RCM’s attention is firmly focused on ramping up it's Deliver a Decent Deal campaign for the upcoming pay rounds.
Jon Skewes, RCM Executive Director for External Relations and one of NHS Unions’ lead negotiators on pay, said:
“We will continue to fight for our members, so they receive a decent pay rise this year and one that starts to make up for years of pay restraint. Maternity services are currently grappling with severe staffing shortages, which have been worsened by COVID-19. Increased pay, more midwives and MSWs and a change in working conditions are absolutely vital if the NHS is to retain and recruit the maternity staff it so desperately needs.”
Members in Northern Ireland can complete the survey here Pay settlement survey RCM members NI .
The RCM will also be emailing its members more information this week and is asking all members to ensure their contact details are up to date. RCM members can update their contact details and preferences, so they are receiving all the latest news and information from the RCM via its weekly newsletters here https://www.rcm.org.uk/login/
The RCM’s survey opens today (3 February) and closes at 5pm on 13 March.