Guernsey nurses' union accused of misinforming members

The RCN said the ballot was carried out by an "independent provider" and the result was "accurate and fair"

The Guernsey politician leading negotiations with States employees is questioning the result of a ballot on pay by nurses.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which represents most of Guernsey's nurses, rejected a three-year pay deal.

Deputy Dave Mahoney accused the union of misinforming members.

The RCN said the ballot was carried out by an "independent provider" and the result was "robust and fair".

Mr Mahoney said: "We do have some significant concerns about the ballot, how it was carried out and the integrity of the result."

He said the RCN had "taken a confrontational approach" and had "sought to misinform its members and misrepresent the significant increases awarded in recent years".

Ellen McNicholas, the RCN's regional director for the South East, said: "We have never denied nor misrepresented the pay awards given in previous years."

She added: "The ballot was undertaken by an independent provider to ensure a robust and fair process."

The union held a ballot in which a majority of the 65.2% of members who voted rejected the offer.

Public sector staff have been offered a 5% rise this year, an RPIX pay rise in 2023 and an RPIX pay rise less 1% for 2024.

RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to the all items Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

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