NHS Wales nurses end strike and accept pay and conditions offer

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

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 improve 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.

About 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 the deal implemented as soon as possible.

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 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.