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‘Deeply insulting’ says the RCM on revised Scotland NHS pay offer

on 21 October 2022 RCM Maternity Services Midwifery Midwives NHS Staff Midwifery Workforce Industrial Action Member consultation MSWs - Maternity Support Workers NHS Scotland Pay and Agenda For Change RCM Scotland Scottish Government Scottish Maternity Services

Scotland’s revised pay offer to midwives and maternity support workers (MSW) announced today is disappointing and deeply insulting says the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The RCM is calling for the Scottish Government to rethink its position on pay and to put a meaningful pay offer on the table.

Late yesterday the Scottish Government made a new pay offer to NHS staff in Scotland following meetings with health unions including the RCM. The RCM says the offer will still leave the vast majority of its members with a significantly below inflation pay award. Most will still be much worse off than they were a decade ago with a pay offer still around 5% for most midwives. This comes with inflation now sitting at over 10% and with predictions it will continue rising said the RCM.

Jaki Lambert, Director for Scotland at the RCM, said: “This is not the substantially increased offer promised by the Scottish government and it will be very, very disappointing news for midwives across the country. It is designed to make them and NHS staff think they are getting something, when in reality they are getting very little. They and their colleagues will not be fooled by this tiny carrot that the Scottish Government is dangling in front of them.

The RCM says that were opportunities during the negotiations for the Scottish Government to offer a better deal to a greater number of staff, but this was rejected by them. This offer will do nothing to tackle the mounting recruitment and retention crisis in Scotland’s NHS says the RCM. In a survey of its members last year three quarters said they were considering leaving. The survey also showed that significant numbers of midwives and MSWs said they did not feel valued in their workplace.

Jaki lambert added, “We have midwives and MSWs heading to food banks because they do not have enough money in their own banks to buy food, turn the heating on or put petrol in their cars to get to work. This cannot be right. It shows yet again that the Scottish Government are dismissing midwives and their colleagues and taking them for granted, and that they do not value them, their skill, and their dedication. The initial pay offer was an insult, and the revised offer just adds injury to it.”

The RCM is currently balloting its members in Scotland on industrial action over pay with the ballot closing on 27 October. The RCM said it continues to urge its members to make their voiced heard on pay and to vote yes to industrial action in the ballot.

ENDS

To contact the RCM Media Office call 020 7312 3456, or email [email protected]. 

Notes to Editor

For more information on pay and the ballot visit the RCM's Scotland Pay Hub at Scotland pay consultation (rcm.org.uk).

 

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team.  We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance, and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences, and online resources. For more information visit the RCM | A professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving the whole midwifery team. 

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