Nurses in Wales have not ruled out striking after a 'disappointing' 3% pay rise offer.
The UK Government and Welsh Government both yesterday announced a 3% offer to nurses in England and Wales. However, the GMB says it is equivalent to a "fresh pay cut".
Unions representing NHS staff have all said they are disappointed by the offer which was described by one as a "slap in the face".
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The GMB has said it will be balloting members with a clear recommendation to reject the pay offer and take industrial action.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had called for a 12.5% pay rise for a "historically undervalued nursing workforce".
Unison, said its members including porters, cleaners, nurses, paramedics and other health workers, thought the offer was "incomprehensible".
Paul Gage, GMB Health lead for Wales said: "This is a slap in the face for Welsh NHS and social care staff. Often poorly equipped and understaffed over the last 18 months, our NHS staff have battled through adversity on the frontline against coronavirus.
"And the thanks they get? A decade of real term pay cuts in the run-up and a fresh one imposed on them by the government. Everybody says that our NHS staff deserve better after what they did for us over the last 18 months.
"Well its time to do something about it. We’ll be balloting our members with a clear recommendation for rejection and for industrial action."
Helen Whyley said the RCN Wales Board will consider the next steps with members.
She said: “With all the challenges that face NHS staff in the coming years, an urgent and significant pay rise is vital to attract more people into the profession and stem the tide of those leaving the NHS.
"Retaining and rewarding the skilled, dedicated and experienced NHS staff will have massive benefits on the health and wellbeing of Wales.
"We will be consulting with our members, who are disappointed and upset that the Welsh Government has chosen not to show their value in this pay award."
Paul Summers, UNISON Cymru Wales lead officer for health, said the offer was "incomprehensible".
"It’s incomprehensible why you wouldn’t give healthcare workers a decent pay award after the trauma they have faced during Covid, working hard to save lives and keep us safe.
"The public seems to hold NHS staff in higher esteem than our governments and 3% isn’t good enough. It is below the £2,000 pay claim submitted by UNISON for every member of staff and it is even below the 4% awarded by the Scottish government to their NHS staff. Welsh healthcare workers have every right to question why their government doesn’t value their services as highly as the Scottish government.
"The pay of these workers has been suppressed for ten years. They need a fair boost to their salaries and the NHS does too, to retain and recruit enough staff and deal with the next Covid wave and treatment backlog."
Announcing the pay offer on Wednesday, health minister Eluned Morgan said: "Once again, I want to thank our Welsh NHS staff for their extraordinary efforts over the course of this pandemic. Many staff have worked extremely long hours under enormous pressure.
"This pay rise recognises the dedication and commitment of hardworking NHS staff and the enormous contribution they have made. It is also a recognition of how valued they are by Welsh communities.
"For our lowest paid staff, this means we have gone above the Living Wage recommendation of £9.50 an hour, demonstrating our commitment to NHS Wales being a Living Wage employer."
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