Nursing unions in Northern Ireland have urged their government to show “clear and decisive leadership” by funding the pay deal for 2025-26, warning that their members will not tolerate “unacceptable” delays.
Unions last week met with Northern Ireland’s health minister, Mike Nesbitt, to discuss the actions he is taking to secure funding for the 2025-26 pay uplift for Health and Social Care (HSC) staff.
“We will not accept any move away from pay parity with colleagues in England and Wales”
Rita Devlin
It comes after Mr Nesbitt accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations in May on pay for 2025-26, which will see Agenda for Change staff given a 3.6% pay rise.
However, at the time, Mr Nesbitt noted that it would be up to his executive colleagues to agree to fund the deal.
In a written statement to the assembly in May, he said the health service should expect to face a £600m budget shortfall, warning that “extremely difficult and painful” savings measures would be needed.
He further cautioned that, by not implementing this year’s pay deal, there would be “substantial risks” for the health service including the threat of strikes and challenges with workforce recruitment and retention.
Professor Rita Devlin, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland, told Nursing Times that all the health trade unions had met with the minister to discuss next steps.
She said: “While we fully acknowledge the serious challenges facing our health service, including the current budget shortfall, it is crucial to recognise that these difficulties are not the responsibility of the dedicated staff who continue to work tirelessly throughout our health and social care system.
“At the same time as the Northern Ireland executive continue to withhold pay from nursing staff, they are expected to continue to deliver excellence in a broken system and shore up the health service with unpaid hours and their own goodwill. This is entirely unacceptable.”
Professor Devlin called on the executive to show “clear and decisive leadership” to ensure nurses and other healthcare workers were “paid fairly and equally”.
She added: “Our position has not changed: we will not accept any move away from pay parity with colleagues in England and Wales, and this pay award must be implemented without further delay.”
In a statement published by Unison Northern Ireland’s health care service group last week, the union said the executive “must support the allocation of funding for a pay uplift”.
It said: “Any delay in providing the funding necessary risks exacerbating difficulties in recruiting and retaining the workforce that services need and damaging workforce morale.
“A repeat of the significant delays experienced in 2024-25 in putting pay uplifts in place must be avoided,” it said.
“The executive should demonstrate that it values the immense contribution made by the many thousands of Health and Social Care workers delivering essential services across Northern Ireland.
“Health trade unions will seek to engage with the wider executive to urge them to support funding for a pay uplift,” it added.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland reiterated that Mr Nesbitt was “acutely aware of the pressures faced by healthcare staff” and their concerns around pay.
A spokesperson said: “All governments, regionally and nationally, are conscious of the benefits of minimising any delay in implementing pay awards.
“The minister has stated publicly that he fully welcomes the recommendations and he has issued a ministerial direction instructing immediate implementation of the pay awards for all HSC staff in 2025-26.
“This direction is now with the executive for consideration,” the spokesperson added.
The Northern Ireland Executive was contacted for comment.
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