Swansea East
Mike Hedges AM welcomes NHS pay deal
Local Assembly
Member Mike Hedges AM has welcomed the Welsh Labour Government’s announcement of
a new NHS pay deal.
The deal covers
nurses and other NHS staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions in Wales
and is stretches over three years.
Trade unions
have unanimously agreed to the deal, offered by the Welsh Government, which
includes a range of pay and non-pay proposals that will benefit staff and
patients. It matches, and in some areas goes beyond the pay deal for England.
As part of the
deal pay bands will be restructured to include higher starting pay, removal of
overlapping pay points and shorter pay scales.
It guarantees
fair basic pay awards for the next three years to staff who are at the top of
their bands – in cumulative 6.5% in three years.
Mike Hedges
AM said
“Staff in the
Welsh NHS work incredibly hard delivering world class care, often under immense
pressure.”
“It is right
that this dedication is recognised through a pay deal that gives parity with
their counterparts in England, and goes beyond it in some areas.”
“After 8 years
of austerity, imposed by the UK Government, the Welsh Labour Government are
right to find the extra funds needed to fund this pay award.”
The pay offer
includes:
·
Going
beyond our commitment to the Living Wage Foundation recommendations, with a new
rate of £17,460 introduced from 1 April 2018 as the minimum basic pay rate in
the NHS and the lowest starting NHS salary increases to £18,005 in 20/21.
·
Investing
in higher starting salaries for staff in every pay band by reforming the pay
system to remove overlapping pay points.
·
Guaranteeing
fair basic pay awards for the next three years to the staff who are at the top
of pay bands;
·
Guaranteeing
fair basic pay awards and faster progression pay for the next three years to
those staff who are not yet on the top of their pay band.
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