Pat Cullen: Nursing union calls for double-digit pay rise to restart talks

The person of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called connected the wellness caput to restart wage negotiations with a projected emergence successful treble digits.

Nurses successful England are owed to get a 5% wage emergence aft the bulk of wellness unions accepted a authorities wage connection - but RCN members rejected the deal.

Speaking to the Times, national brag Pat Cullen praised her "courageous" members and urged ministers to reopen talks.

A root from the Department of Health told the BBC the wage connection was final.

Having initially pushed for a 19% wage rise, Ms Cullen aboriginal called for RCN national members to judge the government's 5% wage offer, but they refused the wage woody by 54% to 46%.

The nursing national volition present ballot for further onslaught enactment aboriginal this month.

In an interrogation with the Times, Ms Cullen said: "Looking backmost connected this wage offer, I whitethorn personally person underestimated the members and their sheer determination."

She called connected Health Secretary Steve Barclay to reopen negotiations which she said needed to "start disconnected successful treble figures".

Ministers beryllium it to nurses "not to propulsion them to person to bash different six months of concern enactment close up to Christmas," she added.

Nurses successful England went connected onslaught for 24 hours connected 1 May - it was the archetypal clip RCN members walked retired of each areas, including intensive care.

They besides took concern enactment connected 2 different occasions earlier this twelvemonth connected 6 and 7 February and connected 18 and 19 January.

Speaking up of the yearly RCN legislature successful Brighton, Ms Cullen said she was "proud" of RCN members.

She praised their "selflessness" for rejecting the government's wage connection and losing wage connected onslaught days to "stand up for the NHS".

"Nurses judge it's their work and their work due to the fact that this authorities is not listening to them connected however to bring it backmost from the brink and the connection to the premier curate is that they are perfectly not going to blink archetypal successful these negotiations," she added.

It is not the archetypal clip the RCN has asked for a double-digit wage increase, arsenic it primitively demanded a 19% wage emergence past year.

The RCN had called for a emergence of 5% supra the RPI ostentation rate, which stood astatine supra 14% astatine the time, but nary UK federation has offered adjacent to that.

The deal, which includes nurses successful England, besides entails a one-off outgo of astatine slightest £1,655. It means each unit volition present person other pay.

Some unions rejected the offer, including the RCN and Unite, but it was accepted aft a bulk was reached. Both unions warned they would proceed to prosecute onslaught action.

Asked successful the insubstantial wherefore nurses warrant a larger summation than different healthcare workers, she said: "It's not truthful agelong agone since the premier curate went connected the media and precise publically said nurses are an exception."

"I would wholly hold with him... they should beryllium made an objection due to the fact that they are exceptional people."

A authorities root said the wellness secretary's doorway was unfastened for discussions astir however to marque the NHS a amended spot to enactment and it was getting the wealth into unit wage packets arsenic soon arsenic possible.

"It is clip to determination connected from concern actions and enactment unneurotic to present for patients," added the wellness section source.

Nurses successful Wales are set to onslaught this summer aft rejecting the Welsh government's latest wage offer.