The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has announced plans to consult with its members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the 3.6% pay award.
Last week the RCM cautiously welcomed the news that the governments in all three nations had accepted the pay recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) in full.
On Wednesday the RCM Board met to discuss next steps and approved a consultation which will be launched on Monday 16 June and run for three weeks, closing Monday 7 July.
The RCM says that, as in previous years it will be led by its members and is urging all Agenda for Change (AfC) members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure their details are up to date so they are able to have their say when the consultation opens.
Commenting, the RCM’s Director for Employment Relations, Joanne Kaye, said:
“We know how hard our members work, day in day out and this pay award is the very least they deserve. While it’s good that the Government has moved on from its previous 2.8% offer, we know that members will be disappointed that the 3.6% barely covers an inflationary rise. That is why we want to gauge the feelings of all our members across the three nations of this pay award. We are urging them to have their say and to encourage colleagues to also make their voices heard.”
The PRB recommended a 3.6% consolidated uplift effective from 1 April 2025 for all Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Once again, the announcement has been subject to delay, which means members have had to wait for any pay uplift. The RCM has been calling for the entire pay process to get back on track in a timely manner after years of delayed announcements. The College says while this year is somewhat better, 1 April is the day its members’ award was due and that should be the date they receive it on.
Joanne added:
“There is still much work to be done on other non-pay elements for Agenda for Change staff, and after longstanding calls from the RCM and other NHS staff side unions we are making progress. We will be holding the governments to account on their commitments for longer term pay reform. We believe there is an opportunity to improve terms and conditions, and work life balance for our members and we will continue to lobby hard for those changes.”
For now, the RCM is asking all its members to ensure their details are up to date so they can receive any further announcements and importantly receive a direct link to the consultation when it launches on 9 June. RCM members can update their details here on the RCM’s website or by calling RCM Connect on 0300 303 0444 quoting their membership number.
