Written question WQ86645

I value having regular contact with the various health trade unions in NHS Wales and meet them regularly.

I met with the NHS Wales Business Committee trade unions, which includes the Royal College of Nursing, on the 20th and 22nd July, ahead of my announcement of accepting the independent NHS pay review body recommendations.

In addition, I have held two further meetings with the Royal College of Nursing, the first was held on 23rd September and then second included the wider NHS Wales Business Committee trade unions on the 29th of September. The RCN have also written to me on a number of occasions since the announcement of the pay award.

My consistent message to all trade unions has been that without the provision of further funding from UK Government, it is impossible to provide an above inflation pay rise for NHS staff without facing extremely difficult decisions about where cuts can be made elsewhere in the budget and delivery of services.

We recognise why so many nurses voted the way they did, and we agree nurses should be fairly rewarded for their important work. We also recognise the anger and disappointment many public sector workers are feeling at the moment. There are however limits to how far we can go to address these concerns in Wales without additional funding from the UK Government.