The government is “not anticipating” having to put a higher pay offer for nurses on the table as they vote on strike action, the health secretary has said.
Therese Coffey told Sky News that she was confident nurses will not get a further pay offer, but insisted that a strike is not inevitable.
“I understand that the ballot is now open, we’ve honoured the independent pay review body’s recommendations on this,” said Ms Coffey, who is also deputy prime minister.
“That was higher than many of the other pay rises that other public-sector workers are getting.
“Dare I say it, having respect of the independent pay review body, I’m not anticipating that we’ll be making any further changes.”
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Asked then if, given her comments, it seems a strike by nurses is inevitable, she added: “That’s a decision for nurses who decide how to vote in this next coming month.”
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For the first time in its 106-year history, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is asking 300,000 of its members if they want to mount a campaign of industrial action.
It comes amid warnings that record numbers of nurses are leaving the profession.
The RCN said new analysis by London Economics has found that pay for nurses has declined at twice the rate of the private sector in the last decade, with their real-terms earnings falling by 6%.
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The union wants nurses to be given a pay rise in line with the rate of inflation, which is currently 10.1%.
In July, the government awarded most NHS staff a pay rise of at least 4.5%, which it said gave many workers a £1,400 salary increase.
The RCN has been urging its members to vote in favour of industrial action, with the union’s general secretary saying it is a “once-in-a-generation chance” to improve pay and combat staff shortages.
“Governments have repeatedly neglected the NHS and the value of nursing. We can change this if together we say ‘enough is enough’,” said RCN chief executive Pat Cullen in a message to members last week.
“Record numbers are feeling no alternative but to quit, and patients pay a heavy price. We are doing this for them too.
“It’s clear we need urgent change. Nursing is the best job in the world. Protect it with your vote.”
Members of the public are also invited to get involved in the union’s demands by co-signing a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss which asks the government to “see sense” and “protect nursing to protect the public”.
Polling carried out by YouGov has suggested two-thirds of the public would support nurses taking strike action, while three-quarters of respondents said there were too few nurses to provide safe NHS care.
The vote comes amid months of strike action from across several sectors, including rail staff, postal workers and refuse employees.
