NHS strikes: midwives vote to accept latest pay offer, Royal College of Midwives confirms

Midwives in England have voted to accept the latest NHS pay offer, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has confirmed.

The turnout for the vote was 48% of eligible members, with 57% of those accepting the offer. It comes after Unison, the largest trade union within the NHS, also voted to accept the pay offer, while the Royal College of Nursing narrowly rejected it.

Alice Sorby, director of employment relations at the RCM, said: “The offer was not perfect, and it was not everything we asked for or that midwives and maternity support workers deserve. However, it was a step forward from the Government’s entrenched position on 2022/23 pay and improved on its directions to the Pay Review Body for 2023/24.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The decision by members of the Royal College of Midwives to accept the pay offer demonstrates it is a fair and reasonable proposal that can bring this dispute to an end.

“Under the offer, an Agenda for Change employee at the Band 6 entry point – such as a physiotherapist, paramedic or a midwife – will receive over £5,100 in extra pay across last year and this year, with over £2,000 in bonus payments arriving as a lump sum in pay cheques before the summer.

“Other unions are finalising their ballot results, and we hope this offer secures their support.”

It comes as the Public and Commercial Services union confirmed that more than 400 workers at His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are due to strike over the next two months. Staff will walkout for a total of 18 days in May and June.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our hard-working members in HMRC are fed up with being treated with disdain by a Government that doesn’t seem to care about its own staff. If they did, ministers would be able to stop this strike action tomorrow by making a fair offer to help our members through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.”