NHS Wales: Nurses pause strike as talks resume

The NHS has been hit by multiple strikes

Planned strike action by nurses in Wales has been paused after the Welsh government agreed to further talks, the Royal College of Nursing has said.

RCN members were set to walk out on 12 and 13 July in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.

RCN Wales said it wanted the Welsh government to commit to improving the working lives of the nursing workforce.

The Welsh government said it was "pleased" at the suspended action to enable further talks.

It comes as strike action by nurses in England ended after the Royal College of Nursing's ballot of its members there failed to achieve a mandate.

• Work pressures driving nurses and midwives away

• Half of new midwives and nurses come from abroad

A pay deal for Welsh NHS staff was accepted by the majority of other health unions in May, but RCN members rejected the latest pay offer and undertook strike action earlier this month.

The RCN said at the time that it was still entitled to take industrial action as the deal was "forced" on its members.

The deal consists of a 5% wage increase and a one-off payment for 2022-23 worth between £900 and £1,190.

Unions have argued that other things could be done too, such as reducing the working week or flexibility at work, which could be the equivalent of a pay rise to nurses.

"We are hopeful that the discussions with Welsh government will result in significant positive outcomes for NHS nursing staff in Wales that will improve their terms and conditions of employment in addition to the pay award that has been implemented," said RCN Wales director Helen Whyley.

The Welsh government said: "We are pleased the RCN and SoR have suspended further action and ballots, to enable talks to explore strengthening the non-pay elements of the pay offer, which has been collectively agreed by the Wales Partnership Forum."