The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has today thanked its midwife and maternity support worker members in Northern Ireland for all their efforts in securing victory in their fight for pay parity. The eleventh hour announcement from Health Minister Mike Nesbitt today means that those HSC staff will receive the promised pay rise, fully backdated to April 2025.
Dr Dale Spence, the RCM’s Director for Northern Ireland, said:
“This is brilliant news for RCM members, and is absolutely testament to those members who have raised their voices and made this happen. We’ve made no secret of our frustration at the empty promises that have been fed to maternity staff, and the wider HSC workforce. That’s why we have been consulting our members on industrial action, because the Department of Health and the Northern Ireland Executive had given us no reasonable choice.
“Now there’s light at the end of a very, very long tunnel, which will be a huge relief to our members. As always, we’ll be taking a very close look at the small print, but this is finally some good news for our members, and for the women and families in their care.”
The Health Minister confirmed that the percentage uplifts as recommended by the NHS Pay Review Body will be backdated in full to 1 April 2025, which will be paid to staff in their February 2026 pay packets.
ENDS
