Marie-Louise ConnollyHealth correspondent, BBC News NI
Getty Images
The RCN will begin the formal process of balloting members for strike action
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Northern Ireland is to begin the process of balloting members for strike action.
The union said it is due to nursing staff continuing to be denied the pay award that’s been given to colleagues in other parts of the UK.
In a statement the RCN said, despite “repeated promises” from the Executive and statements by the health and finance ministers, there is still no resolution to this “unacceptable situation”.
On Monday, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he is “less optimistic” than he was a fortnight ago about resolving an ongoing delay to pay awards for nurses in Northern Ireland.
PA Media
Rita Devlin has called the situation unacceptable
Prof Rita Devlin, executive director of the RCN in Northern Ireland, said a week ago “they’d held out hope that the crisis would be resolved”, but that the executive had “reneged on its commitment to maintaining pay parity for nurses”.
“Unfortunately, empty promises don’t pay bills,” she continued.
“It is nothing short of shameful that it is our own Northern Ireland politicians who are forcing nursing staff in Northern Ireland back onto the picket lines in order to get the pay award that has been recommended, and which they all agreed should be paid.”
PA Media
Mike Nesbitt signed off £200m to go towards this year’s pay deal in May
In May the health minister signed off £200m to go towards this year’s pay deal but said the money would need to be found outside his department due to financial pressure he is already facing.
Health pay is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.
In recent years health workers have engaged in strike action over failure to implement the annual pay award.
Last month, Mike Nesbitt said that he doesn’t see a fix for this issue outside of the executive working together collaboratively and that he would not point the finger at other ministers for the failure so far to find the money.
Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday, Nesbitt said he was “not just as convinced” now that those discussions would end positively.
“I am less optimistic now than I was a couple of weeks ago, but I still think it’s going to be resolved,” he said.
“Even if it does lead to strike action – and I pray to God it does not – at some point this pay issue will have to be resolved and I think if we allow it to go to strike action it will have an impact on service delivery, waiting lists, staff morale and the bottom line is when it is resolved, it will cost more to sort out than it costs today.”
The minister added that he understands the RCN is due to hold a “key” meeting this Thursday where he anticipated the option of strike action being “rubber stamped” by the union.
‘Not seen as important’
Prof Devlin said the pay award is not an inflation-busting pay uplift, but in fact it “barely covers the rising cost of living”.
She continued that the delay has caused “unquantifiable” damage to staff morale.
“It is very clear to our members that they are not seen as important or valued by those in power when something as simple as a pay award, which they knew was coming, cannot be delivered.”
The RCN has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to act immediately and to avoid plunging the health service into further disruption.