NHS Wales nurses end strike and accept pay and conditions offer

Nurses had protested during their action at hospitals such as Bronglais in Aberystwyth

Nurses in Wales have voted to accept a Welsh government offer on pay and conditions, bringing an end to strikes.

A pay deal for Welsh NHS staff was accepted by the majority of other health unions in May, but Royal College of Nursing members had rejected it.

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

The RCN said improvements to other elements of the deal will mean better working conditions and care standards.

These include commitments from ministers on flexible working, staffing rotas and exploring the possibility of a 36-hour working week with no pay reduction.

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The RCN announced that 52% of members who voted in the ballot accepted the offer.

The union said it will now focus on 2024-25 pay in discussions and work to get the non-pay elements of this deal implemented as soon as possible.

'One small step in the right direction'

RCN Wales director Helen Whyley said her members' "collective resolve and bravery to stand up for their patients and the future of the NHS led to repeated improved offers from the Welsh government".

"As a result of these improvements, the ballot outcome indicates that our members' perseverance has paid off and they feel this offer goes some way to improving working conditions and the safety of patients.

"Nurses are very clear with me that this result is only one small step in the right direction, and it must be built on in the pay awards to come.

"RCN Wales will be holding the Welsh government to account to implement their commitment of pay restoration to make up for years of pay freezes and to implement the improvements in this deal for better working conditions for nurses."

The end of the dispute came as doctors told the Welsh government to prepare for strike action.

The British Medical Association (BMA) Wales wrote to Health Minister Eluned Morgan to tell her it was disappointed at the outcome of pay talks and would be balloting doctors about industrial action.