DDLMC WEEKLY UPDATE 08/12/22

Nursing Strike Action – Frequently Asked Questions

As you are no doubt aware, some Members of Trade Unions supporting the Nursing Profession have voted to strike over the national pay offer.

Kraft HR would like to offer the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to you at this time:

Can my Nurses legally strike?

Unless your organisation recognises Trade Unions and you have been formally notified of the ballot, the outcome of the ballot and the intention to strike, your staff will not be part of the legal strike action. If they decide to participate in the strike where the legal process has not been followed with their employer, this will be unofficial strike action and could put them at risk of disciplinary action.

Does this mean I don’t need to worry about it?

No! The strike action may well impact your staff and services, so you would be well advised to consider the following:

• Do you work alongside organisations where their workforce has voted to strike?

• Do you share a building with striking workforce?
• Do the striking workforce work with your staff?
• Do your staff visit locations or undertake work with striking staff?
• Do patients know which services are affected?

• Might your staff be required to cross picket lines during the course of their duties?

• Your staff may have strong feelings about being asked to do this and should know what their employer expects them to do in such circumstances.

• Do any of your staff feel that they would wish to support their striking colleagues?

• Do you have a policy on unofficial strike action?
• Will you allow staff to take leave to support the strike?
• Do you wish to have a policy for sickness on strike days?

• Might your service be called upon or put under pressure to cover services that are affected by the strike action?
• Are you reliant on Agency Staff who might receive offers for work in striking services?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you need to plan to ensure that the strike action does not take you by surprise. Even if the answer is no, some communication with staff regarding the forthcoming strike would be well advised.

Pay and conditions are a national issue, should Primary Care be concerned?

Primary Care in general is not part of the Agenda For Change Negotiating Group, it is a point of reference for Nursing pay across the country.

Some Practices recognise Agenda for Change terms and conditions, in which case they are bound to implement the results of the national bargaining group.

Other roles, such as ARRS roles are funded in line with Agenda for Change so whilst the local decisions about pay and conditions are still made, the funding is strongly tied to Agenda for Change.

Cost of living pressures are real across sectors. Now is the time to plan for your coming years pay reviews, particularly as National Living Wage is set to rise again to £10.42 for workers over the age of 23 – which is a 9.3% rise in hourly pay for those currently on £9.50. Of course, this has a knock on effect for the salary structure with differentials under pressure. A funded workforce plan should be considered to anticipate and respond to these pressures.

*reproduced with the kind permission of Kraft HR Consulting Ltd