Publish NHS pay rise number as soon as possible, Plaid tells Welsh Government

Plaid Cymru has urged Welsh Government to ensure the publication as soon as possible of a review which will outline what kind of pay rise NHS staff can expect.

The Welsh Government had previously confirmed the review was due before the end of June, and that the pay rise in Wales would be higher than the 1% suggested by the UK Government in England where unions are threatening strike action.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson on health has said we “owe our lives” to our health workers, and they must be rewarded for their hard work with “more than just good wishes”.

During Politics Wales on Sunday, 6 June, Health Minister Eluned Morgan MS admitted that the Welsh Government had “an obligation” to reward NHS workers, and said that she didn’t want to see a pay cap of 1%, as has been the suggestion in England.

But to date, the recommendations from the independent NHS pay review body in Wales have not been published.

On 23 June, nine trade unions wrote an open letter to Welsh Government requesting an “urgent and significant pay rise” to reward NHS staff and stop them leaving jobs.

Senior Doctors in England have threatened industrial action if the Westminster government’s offer of a 1% pay rise is not increased.

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Health, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said, “Our health workers have kept us safe during the pandemic – in fact, we owe them our lives! The impact of those long hours, through one of the most traumatic periods our NHS has ever seen has taken its toll on their health and morale.

“If Welsh Government turns its back on the promises it made in terms of a pay increase, then it too could face the threat of a walk out.

“Our health service is already under pressure, under-resourced and understaffed. My plea to Welsh Government is to ensure our health and care workers do not remain underpaid.”

‘Pitiful’

Wales’ Health Minister, Eluned Morgan said last month that she expected the Welsh Government to offer a pay rise to NHS staff above the proposed 1% announced by the UK Government.

Eluned Morgan said she felt there was “an obligation” to offer a pay boost to those who had “worked their socks off” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We were clear that we didn’t want to see a pay cap as they have suggested in England of 1%,” she said.

“I think we’ve got an obligation. We’ve seen people on the frontline who have really suffered. They have really worked their socks off over the past year, and so if we do need to step in and find some additional funding that is beyond the 1% then we’ll certainly look at that.”

Helen Whyley, the director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Wales, had described the 1% rise over the border as “pitiful and bitterly disappointing”.