The Pay Offer for NHS Workers

Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:35 pm on 1 March 2023.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 3:35, 1 March 2023

Can I thank you for your answers, Minister? One thing I just do want to try and get an understanding of is that you've talked about further discussions over the weeks ahead, and I just want to understand what the plan is now in those discussions that you referred to. I think you just said in your answer to Adam Price that you can look at what else you need to do further, and there'll be further engagement and discussions, but you've also said that the last pay offer was the final one. So, I'm just trying to understand. It appears to be a contradiction—perhaps it's not—but I'm just trying to understand what's behind that. And, perhaps you can explain whose court the ball now sits in in order to have those further discussions with the unions, and the RCN also. 

And, can I ask: do you feel that the RCN—? You've obviously had productive discussions with some of the unions, but of those parties that didn't accept the offer, including the RCN, do you think, in some way, that they've been unreasonable to reject the offer? I've always had good relationships with the RCN, but I'm just trying to get a sense of whether you think that the RCN have been unreasonable, and what your relationship, I suppose, is with the RCN and the others who didn't accept the offer that you put to them as a result of your statement yesterday.