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Guest post: 'Midwives deserve fair treatment - so we're striking'

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MumsnetGuestPosts · 02/10/2014 10:14

On Monday 29 September, for the first time in our 133 year history, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) members voted yes to taking industrial action over pay in the NHS.

It is a decision midwives have taken with a heavy heart, but it's a necessary one. The overwhelming 'yes' vote in our ballot shows the level of frustration among our members, of which over 99% are women. It was a clear message: enough's enough.

The strike will be a protest against the rejection of a 1% uplift to NHS pay. Midwives have seen three years of pay restraint and are now facing another two. If the planned pay restraint goes ahead, in 2016 midwives’ pay will have only increased by 1% since 2010.

If a typical midwife's pay had risen in line with inflation since 2010 they would today be paid over £4000 more than they are actually getting. That much money is enough to pay three years’ worth of household energy bills, or a year and half of childcare in after school club. Midwives and maternity support workers have already lost out, and now they face another year of working out whether there is anything left to cut from their household budget.

NHS maternity services in England have been struggling for years to cope with a deep and enduring shortage of midwives. Teams have been working flat out, often staying late and working large amounts of unpaid overtime as they try their hardest to give women the best possible care they can. After years of stress, pressure and overwork, to be told that they face another year of rising bills and static pay is too much.

But of course, the safety of women and their babies will always come first with midwives. On strike day – the 13 October - some of our members will stop working for four hours between 7am and 11am, but some will continue to go to work to cover essential services. The intention is that the service provided will be similar to the service on a bank holiday. Women in labour will still receive safe, high quality care from their midwife – the only change they might notice is that their midwife may wear a sticker to show that they are supporting the action.

The RCM's representatives will be working with health trusts to ensure that contingency plans are put in place so that essential services continue. Ensuring safety for women and babies is a midwife's first priority. This action will not change that.

There will also be further industrial action between Tuesday 14 October and Friday 17 October. It is likely that any woman using maternity services during this period will be completely unaware that action is being taken, as this action will be aimed at employers. It will highlight the fact that maternity services often operate on the goodwill of midwives and Maternity Support Workers.

Midwives often work many hours of unpaid overtime and do not take breaks to ensure that woman are safe and that services continue to be delivered. They will now claim for that overtime and ask to be paid for it. They will take their well-earned breaks.

We have calculated that just 13 hours overtime is the equivalent of a 1% pay rise. Many midwives work on average at least two hours of unpaid overtime per week. Often they work many more. The goodwill that midwives give to the NHS is worth far more than the 1% pay increase. This highlights how unreasonable and short-sighted their - the employers' - position is.

All midwives are asking for is fair pay after years of pay restraint. A poll by the Royal College of Midwives showed that a majority of the public support a 1% pay increase for NHS staff and industrial action by midwives, provided arrangements are made to ensure that any pregnant woman in need of immediate care continues to receive it during any action, which they will.

I would appeal to women, especially mums, to support midwives in this action - by tweeting, by writing to your MP, and by sharing the RCM's infographics on Facebook. We are not asking for special treatment, we are just asking for fair treatment. I hope you'll support them.

OP posts:
SoonToBeSix · 02/10/2014 12:04

We a living in times of austerity , pay freezes are commonplace in public sector jobs.

NeverNic · 02/10/2014 12:40

My baby is due that week so personally I'm not too pleased that this is the option they have decided on. I work in the private sector (financial services industry) and I too have had years of salary freezes, regularly work through lunch and clock up hours of unpaid overtime. My job doesn't compare to a mw in terms of the positive impact they make or job satisfaction, but the conditions I put up with enable me to provide for my family and keep my job.

Personally I think money is better spent on training and recruiting new midwives, so there isn't the need to do overtime and the future of midwifery is safeguarded.

Quivering · 02/10/2014 12:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lilybensmum1 · 02/10/2014 12:48

As an RN I totally support the strike action, as I'm with the RCN we nurses are not yet striking, my £9 a month pay rise before tax that is not included in my pension or unsocial payments does not even pay for my car parking fees! I often work excess hours for free as there is no such thing as overtime, I love my job and would never put my patients at risk however I'm usually nearly in tears and frustrated at the increasing pressure, not sure I can continue long term in the NHS.

Good luck with the strike!

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 02/10/2014 13:12

I fully support the strike.

And if people in the private sector feel they are missing out, they always have the option to organise, join unions and campaign for better pay and conditions too. This shouldn't be a race to the bottom.

Messygirl · 02/10/2014 13:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

polkadotdelight · 02/10/2014 13:56

I support the strike. As a fellow NHS employee (different field) I understand the frustration of the payrise situation. As a mother to a 5 day old I have had unfaltering support from midwives and associated staff. I have seen how hard they work and the pressures they are under in comparison to my area. Something needs to change.

littlemonkey1980 · 02/10/2014 13:57

I think most people are surprised when they find out how little midwives actually take home for the level of responsibility they have. Midwives are not asking for massive pay rises (as Politian's have had- 11% anyone?). All sections of the NHS have seen cut backs/pay freezes/ redundancies /lack of back filling in recent year so it's not like they've not taken their share.


and the action is also NOT going to affect those who need essential service, so those in labour etc.

Jcicelyg · 02/10/2014 14:29

For the people saying use the money to employ more midwives....you can't run a unit in newly qualified staff, you need experience for a unit to be safe! Would a newly qualified midwife be able to run a delivery suite that caters for 5,000 births (some with extreme complications)...& more to the matter why should they?!!! They need to be supported and given the benefit of experience staff so that all women can be looked after safely. Midwives don't strike lightly, but the morale after many years of shortages and increased birth rate is leading to an unhappy, under appreciated workforce. If morale is low, staff leave and it is happening every day! They need some incentive so they feel that the hard , often tireless work they do is appreciated. We need to keep the experience!!!
I'm in full support!

AtYourCervix · 02/10/2014 14:36

Problem is that when we have asked to be reimbursed for breaks not taken or overtime we are told that it is our fault for not managing our time and workload efficiently. So I can't see that working.

alipop1 · 02/10/2014 14:38

Women in labour or on the hospital wards WILL NOT be affected. Cathy Warwick makes that clear.

If you think this is an unfair strike, ask yourself;
Do you want a midwife looking after you who hasn't had a break (unpaid) or been to the toilet (not that we need to pee as we often don't have time to drink).

Do you think that midwife might be tired or not functioning safely if she hasn't had a break, particularly as they tend to work 12+hours shifts. I'm sure most of the private sector as least manage a bite of something at their desk if they don't have a break).

Do you think it is acceptable for MP's to get an 11% pay rise. Why don't you protest about that.

Although pay freezes affect many people, do you really want midwives to continue leaving the profession. By the time the 3000 midwives are recruited, who some say the money should go to, more midwives will have quit. Then you can have a junior looking after you with no support from those with experience.

Never mind that tax allowances have been changed so health professionals earn less, regardless of no pay rise. Pensions are not protected. Pay for unsocial hours may be stopped if the NHS CEO has his way. Would you want to work Christmas/Easter/nights/Weekends 24/7 without getting fair pay.

Midwives never wanted to go on strike. Don't blame them for this debacle, look at your leaders to prioritise where the money goes to, and for them to allocate fairly. How can they not even listen to the pay review body.

It's all ok though, because if we continue to devalue health workers (and other essential workers) then we can just look forward to the system collapsing or losing the NHS altogether. Then you may have wished you'd supported midwives/nurses/ambulance etc etc.

NormaStanleyFletcher · 02/10/2014 14:49

I am in complete support (private sector worker here)

From the telegraph article linked to

"The yes vote follows the rejection by employers of the Independent NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) recommendation of a 1 per cent pay rise for NHS staff."

So an independent body recommended the pay rise - rather like the MP's 11 per cent, but for their own pay rise they just shrugged and said it wasn't their fault, it was independently recommended...

Yes everybody is feeling the pinch, but it comes as no surprise to me that a women (99%) running a service for women is not being given a break by this current batch of cockwombles.

GeorginaWorsley · 02/10/2014 16:05

Am a paediatric nurse in NHS and frequently miss breaks and work extra.
as someone said up thread, RCN not striking as yet so I luckily don't have the dilemma of whether to strike or not
because it would be a dilemma,have nursed for almost 30 years under every government of that time,seen all the various changes throughout NHS that each have made etc.
we are struggling to recruit new staff nurses now,and us older experienced ones are either retiring or moving into jobs without 12 hour shifts, Xmas, no break or food in 12 hours etc etc.

UnrelatedToElephants · 02/10/2014 16:51

Why not stop doing the unpaid overtime, if that's what it's about.

GratefulHead · 02/10/2014 17:10

Unrelated, I WAS a midwife (note the past tense).

It is not as simple as saying "stop doing the overtime". If a woman is about to deliver her baby at the end of a shift you don't generally "just leave".

Likewise when the Labour ward is heaving you stay because there is nobody to take over from you. You don't simply walk away.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 02/10/2014 17:54

I support them.

Thanks midwives - we need many more of them and better pay for them.

sunbathe · 02/10/2014 18:00

I support them.

Remind me how much the last pay rise for MPs was?

Howaboutthisone · 02/10/2014 18:20

I'm genuinely surprised by some of the posts here.

I fully support the strike. I feel that often people end up trying to outdo one another on the 'well we've got it worse, suck it up' front without thinking that we should be striving to improve our situations. I agree with the 'race to the bottom' comment upthread wholeheartedly.

The pay freeze for the midwives while the mps get 11% rise and the Nhs management are on huge salaries just doesn't sit right with me at all.

GinGinGin · 02/10/2014 18:32

Fully support the strike. MWs have a huge level of responsibility for not a huge amount of pay. However, it isn't just the pay that's the issue, it's the fact that many maternity units are clearly understaffed (despite health boards insisting otherwise)

SeattleGraceMercyDeath · 02/10/2014 18:43

Unsurprisingly I support the strike. I'll be on the picket line.

VivaLeBeaver · 02/10/2014 19:19

In my unit there are something like 110 midwives.

5 left at the beginning of Sept, two left this week, one more has handed her notice in this week, two people are leaving next week. I've got two interviews next week, both outside of midwifery.

If 10% of your staff leave in just over a month something's not good.


Our unit advertises constantly and struggles to recruit.

Pay freezes aren't going to help the situation as people aren't going to be tempted to a stressful, physically hard, emotionally draining job where the pay isn't great for a graduate profession. Never mind the shift work, weekends, Xmas day, lack of any pretence of family friendly, etc.

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VivaLeBeaver · 02/10/2014 19:21

And I'll tell you how bloody incompetent the nhs is.

My boss asked me to order a Perspex box, we have to use nhs supply chain for purchases. No choice. An ordinary storage box with a lid. You'd get one in Wilkos for £3.

£55 from nhs supply chain. £55 fucking pounds.

Multiply those sort of figures for every ward in every hospital for everything you purchase.

TooMuchCantBreath · 02/10/2014 19:27

Wholehearted support here. As for saying "just stop doing unpaid overtime" how would you feel, in labour, if your mw said "right, I'm leaving now, shifts over. There's not enough staff on duty to look after you though so probably best you try not to deliver for a while"?

I previously worked in care, if we did that we could (and would) be prosecuted. It doesn't matter when your shift ends, legally you can't leave someone in potential danger and morally you can't either.

Unfortunately the government have to be made to sit up and take notice. The only outcome of the current cuts/freezes/underfunding/cop out is people being put at risk - no matter how many mw don't take a pee break or grab a drink during their shift. The staff are doing everything they can, it's about time the leaders of this country did their part.

One teeny criticism of the op though, you don't quantify the time period of the 13 hours. It sounds a little bit like you actually need to do 11hrs more pw to justify the 1% (not to me I hasten to add but it's misleading)

Nessalina · 02/10/2014 19:46

I am 35 weeks pregnant and I fully support the strike. I think the levels of goodwill in play in this profession are astronomical, and I know I wouldn't like to have a browned off midwife who insists on taking a 30min break halfway through my labour, and clears off as the baby's crowning coz their shift has ended! Confused The fact is that in many professions you can do that, work to rule and make a point, midwives (and nurses) simply can't, and wouldn't want to. Taking the piss by not paying for overtime is bad enough, but frozen pay for 6 years is madness.
I don't know how much midwives are paid, but if were payed £25,000 in 2008, you'd need to be paid £30,000 now for your wage to have kept pace with inflation. There's few jobs that will have done that, ooh except maybe MPs... Hmm

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