‘Government can no longer deny midwives and all NHS staff a fair pay rise says RCM’

By RCM on 16 October 2017 TUC RCM Midwives Pay and Agenda For Change

The TUC says the findings are proof that the ‘living standards squeeze’ will continue for midwives and all other  public sector workers.

The findings released today coincide with a major TUC rally against the pay cap which will be attended by members of the Royal College Midwives (RCM) among other NHS trade unions and various other unions representing public sectors workers.

RCM’s Chief Executive Gill Walton will join the TUC’s General Secretary Frances O’ Grady and other trade unions leaders who will address attendees at the rally in Parliament Square, London.

Commenting on the TUC’s analysis Jon Skewes RCM’s Director for Policy, Employment Relations and Communications said; “The RCM will continue to lobby the Government alongside the TUC and all other NHS Unions until the Government commits to fully funding a real terms pay increase for all our hard working NHS staff and other public sector workers. The Government can no longer deny vital NHS frontline staff a fair pay rise in line with inflation and the cost of living and it must make the case now to the NHS pay review body  for a fully funded real-terms pay increase for NHS staff.

“The time is now for the Government to concede NHS Unions pay claim in full and commit to fully funding a real terms pay increase as anything less will fundamentally damage employment relations in the NHS and will add to the already rock-bottom NHS morale. It will further push midwives out of the profession at a time when we already have a shortage of midwives that is getting worse. We need our NHS staff more than ever because ultimately, investment in NHS staff is an investment in high quality, safe NHS cares.

“Our maternity services are in crisis, the birth rate is higher than ever before, maternity teams are over stretched and there is a shortage of 3,500 midwives in England alone. What the Government is doing is utterly irresponsible and they are potentially creating another staffing crisis in our maternity services. If they continue their policy of pay restraint, midwives will continue to leave the profession in their droves and those interested in making a career in midwifery will no doubt be deterred.

“Last year an RCM survey* last year revealed that  80 percent of the midwives who had left or were considering leaving the service said they would stay if they had a pay rise. Midwives and maternity support workers work incredibly hard under increasingly challenging circumstances and they are working harder every day while seeing their pay drop. Funding for NHS staff and fair pay has never been more critical and that is why the RCM is calling on the Government again to make the case to the NHS Pay Review Body for a fully funded real-terms pay increase.”

Ends

For more details on RCM’s Fair Pay Overdue Campaign

TUC Analysis

Projected real-terms pay losses for public sector workers by 2022

Source: National pay scales, inflation figures taken from OBR March 2017 forecast

Methodology: We have taken earnings data from national pay scales across different parts of the public sector. This has been multiplied by the various pay offers 1%, 1.7% and 2% (We have assumed that the additional, non-consolidated 1% offer made to the police is repeated throughout the time period) then we have compared this to if the same earnings kept pace with forecast CPI inflation to calculate the real terms difference in earnings by 2022.

Cumulative loss of earnings represents the sum total of the difference in earnings each year over this time period.