Junior doctors in Wales have criticised the Welsh Government over its pledge to restore NHS pay to 2008 levels, saying it they fear it is "already looking for reasons not to make good on their commitment to the principle of full pay restoration".
At a press conference earlier this week, health minister Eluned Morgan said that the Welsh Government's ability to spend more money on NHS pay was "limited". She said the Conservative government at Westminster would be unlikely to provide the additional funding so ministers in Wales would be "having conversations obviously with our counterparts in Labour in Westminster in relation to this".
Ms Morgan's comments appear to suggest that hopes of pay restoration in Wales, which was part of a package of measures offered to unions to end NHS strikes in Wales, may rest on a future Labour administration at Westminster lead by Keir Starmer. This is despite the fact Mr Starmer has so far refused to commit to pay restoration in the NHS.
Dr Amna Babiker and Dr Georgina Budd, co-chairs of BMA Cymru Wales' junior doctor committee, said: "We’re disappointed and frustrated to hear these comments from the minister. This is not our understanding of current pay talks with the Welsh Government, and it raises concerns that they are already looking for reasons not to make good on their commitment to the principle of full pay restoration."
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At the press conference WalesOnline had asked Eluned Morgan when NHS staff could expect their pay to be restored to 2008 levels. She replied "As a principle, we would like to see the restoration of pay levels to 2008. We think that the Conservative government in Westminster has eroded the pay of NHS workers over a prolonged period of time. It’s unlikely that the current Tory UK Government are going to restore pay levels, and that's why we are very keen to make sure we have discussions with our Labour colleagues, so that any incoming government would consider this.
"This is something obviously we have a limited budget here in Wales. But if you look at, for example, how much money goes into health and how much that's increased in the UK compared to the increase for example, in Germany, it's very, very significantly different. So, we will be having conversations obviously with our counterparts in Labour in Westminster in relation to this." For more stories like this, you can sign up to our Wales Matters newsletter here.
Last week, the Welsh Government made a new pay offer to NHS unions in Wales which consists of a 1.5% pay rise and a 1.5% one-off bonus. The pay award for 2023/24, consists of a 5% pay rise from April (if accepted) and an investment in the bottom of the pay bands so that Band 1 and bottom pay point of Band 2 will have an increase of 8% - taking them to £22,720.
The fourth point of the package of measures from the Welsh Government is regarding pay restoration. It says "Welsh Government commit to the principle of pay restoration to 2008 levels," and "Work in social partnership to make practical plans to meet this aim (including influence UK Government and Pay Review Body." You can see the full details for the pay offer here.
Dr Amna Babiker and Dr Georgina Budd, co-chairs of BMA Cymru Wales' junior doctor committee, said they were disappointed to hear the health minister say that pay restoration in Wales was likely to depend on conversations with their Labour counterparts in Westminster - who are not yet in Government.
When asked earlier this month by a junior doctor if he would commit to a full pay restoration if he were in power, leader of the UK Labour party, and the would-be Prime Minister if Labour were successful in the next General Election, Keir Starmer said: "I'm going to be honest with you, I am not going to make a commitment now about what we will do in Government because the election is probably 12 months away and we don't know the state of the economy. But I can tell you this, under a Labour Government, junior doctors and nurses were paid properly and they didn't feel the need to go on strike."
When pushed further if that would include a 35% pay rise, Starmer said: "No I am not going to make that commitment, I don't think anybody would expect me to do that a year out from an election so I'm not going to do that."
Dr Amna Babiker and Dr Georgina Budd, co-chairs of BMA Cymru Wales' junior doctor committee, said: "We’re disappointed and frustrated to hear these comments from the minister. This is not our understanding of current pay talks with the Welsh Government, and it raises concerns that they are already looking for reasons not to make good on their commitment to the principle of full pay restoration.
“At the beginning of this month, the health minister wrote to us reaffirming the Welsh Government’s commitment to work in social partnership to make practical plans to meet the aim of pay restoration back to 2008 levels as publicly declared in the 2022/23 pay award. The letter also included confirmation that this process would start with talks with the BMA and Welsh Government to establish how this can be made practical for the 2023/24 pay award and beyond. Talks have already begun with a plan going forward for regular meetings.
“These comments have now caused us to question the good faith we had in this process and our social partnership arrangements, and we have now requested an urgent explanation from the health minister. Whilst we appreciate there are limitations and political decisions to be made the fact remains that junior doctors in Wales have taken a 26.1% real-terms (RPI) pay cut since 2008. A fact that is having a significant impact on the retention and recruitment of doctors, whilst all the while one in six people in Wales (574,000) are on an NHS waiting list in desperate need of care."
According to the BMA, junior doctors in Wales have taken a 26.1% real-terms (RPI) pay cut since 2008. Plaid Cymru has also said that the Health Minister's promise to the "principle of pay restoration" "means nothing", unless the Welsh Government acts and demands "more power to pay NHS staff what they deserve."
Responding to the comments, Plaid Cymru’s health and care spokesperson Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: "Our NHS is in crisis. Thirteen years of Tory cuts and twenty-five years of Labour mismanagement has left our health and care workers demoralised, exhausted and struggling to make ends meet. The Labour Welsh Government might well support the principle of restoring pay to 2008 levels, but it ultimately means nothing if they’re determined to leave it all to a Westminster Government.
“If Labour are the party of the workers that they claim to be, they must support Plaid Cymru’s calls for more power to pay NHS staff what they deserve. They can start by demanding the powers to set our own tax bands just like Scotland, rather than be ruled by the whim of Westminster. Otherwise, it’s like standing on doorsteps clapping - our hardworking staff can’t survive on that alone. Surely we’ve learnt in so many ways that Westminster doesn’t - and won’t - work for Wales. When will Labour in Wales wake up to that?”
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