Socialist Party Wales Socialism In Wales
The Welsh government have made new pay offers to NHS workers and school teachers. “Too little, too late” has been the overwhelming response from health and school workers. Welsh Ambulance Service workers and NEU members have voted decisively to reject the offer, and will all return to industrial action to force more money from the Welsh and UK governments. The Royal College of Nursing has mistakenly called off action while it ballots members in Wales until February 27th.
Here a nurse and a teacher explain why the offers should be rejected:
Beth Webster RCN member
Most NHS unions in Wales suspended the 6 and 7 February strike action following a paltry pay offer from the Labour-led Senedd (Welsh government). The decision of the leaders of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Royal College of Midwives (RCM), physios’ union CSP, and GMB ambulance workers to call off strike action on 6 and 7 February was met with anger by rank-and-file members once the details of the deal were made public. Only Unite ambulance workers continued to strike.
The offer is a consolidated increase of 1.5%, and a 1.5% unconsolidated one-off payment. This means that for a staff nurse on the highest-possible pay point, they will receive, together with last year’s deal, a total of a 6% pay rise and a £494 one-off payment. This is far below the RCN’s demand of inflation plus 5%. It is not enough to retain or recruit staff to a collapsing health service.
The non-pay elements of the deal do not include any concrete commitments. Vague promises to consider improving pay progression, a 36-hour working week without loss of pay, and to reduce agency nurse spending, are not good enough. The NHS needs urgent, concrete solutions to the worsening staffing crisis.
Such was members’ anger at the strikes being called off, that RCN Cardiff members held a meeting with the Associate Director of RCN Wales within hours of the deal being made public. We were told that it will put more pressure on the Tories, now that the Scotland and Wales governments have made offers, as Westminster is where funding really needs to come from for a proper pay deal.
Members pointed out that going ahead with the coordinated strike action would have put far more pressure on than a meagre pay deal, and that union leaders being willing to settle for crumbs from devolved governments will actually take pressure off the Tories to offer a decent deal.
This deal is further evidence of the Labour-led Senedd refusing to take responsibility for the NHS crisis in Wales, aided by union leaders under the guise of ‘social partnership’. Ordinary NHS workers are not willing to let the Senedd off the hook. They could fund the pay rise the unions demand in the immediate term, and stand up to the Tories to fight for the funding necessary from the government in Westminster.
NHS workers are voting on the deal and, judging by their anger so far, it will likely be rejected. Our next strike action should be coordinated, not just with other health unions, but all workers fighting on pay. We need a 24-hour general strike.
Catherine Peace NEU rep explains why NEU reps were right to reject the offer by a margin of 9-1
After a well-supported, successful strike on 1 February, with a good turnout by teachers and support staff at the strike rallies that were organised in Wales, the second National Education Union (NEU) strike that was due on 14 February was postponed until 2 March because of an offer by the Welsh Labour-led government.
The offer is extremely low. It is 1.5% to be added to the paltry 5% we had already been offered, with an extra 1.5% for this year only. The extra money is at least funded by the Welsh government, unlike the initial 5% which appears to remain unfunded. It only includes teachers and head teachers and not support staff, who have separately been offered a review by Welsh government into their pay by Welsh local authorities, with no extra money attached yet.
So far, every teacher I have spoken to thinks the offer is not enough and well below the rate of inflation. They were also concerned at letting down their support staff colleagues and fellow NEU members in England as well, if they settle for so little.
A Zoom meeting on the day the strike should have taken place, for workplace reps and district officers to feed back members’ views rejected the offer by 91%, and we can continue our action, as well as leading on coordinating with other unions on 15 March. We should be working towards a 24-hour general strike.
