Nursing support staff protest pay

The RCN has assured its staff pay would be backdated to 1 April

Some Royal College of Nursing (RCN) support staff are planning to protest outside the organisation's annual conference in a row over pay.

The staff, who work in administration at the college's offices across the UK, are members of the GMB union.

They plan to protest at Monday's conference in Bournemouth over claims the RCN has not given them a pay rise.

The RCN said 5% of its budget had been set aside for a rise but it did not yet know how it would be allocated.

'Pay backdated'

Gill Robertson, GMB branch secretary who represents the 550 GMB members working at the RCN, said: "The RCN has earmarked 5% to cover the cost of a new job evaluation scheme and a cost of living pay increase that was due on 1 April."

But she said implementing the scheme would cost the RCN between 3% and 6%, leaving the staff 2% of the budget at best to go towards their wages.

"Which by the RCN's own definition is a pay cut," Ms Robertson added.

A spokeswoman for the RCN said: "Five per cent of the staffing budget has been set aside this year to fund the implementation of a job evaluation scheme and to give staff a cost of living pay award.

"Until the impact of the new scheme is known the RCN does not know how this 5% will be allocated.

"The RCN has committed that all changes to pay will be backdated to 1 April."