£10.60 for qualified nurse-stay or walkout

[user1471462428]

I’ve been in my new job for a couple of weeks, I had asked the company to clarify my wages when I first started but the manager was unable to. She did state the generally paid around £14 an hour (this is low for nursing but I was willing to accept it). I’ve just got my first wage slip and it’s £10.60 an hour, it feels like an insult I have to pay a registration fee to be a nurse and once that is deducted I won’t be far off the minimum wage. I have over a decade nursing experience and I will only be paid a pound more than their health care assistant. I’m wondering whether I should walk out? I haven’t been given a contract and feel I’ve been deceived.

@user1471462428

I’ve found a job advert for my current job and it says £14 an hour. Which either means they have made a mistake or they have just decided to pay me lower.

Did you ask about the pay today? I hope you get what you were expecting

An advert is part of the terms and conditions especially as you don't have a formal contract.

May I suggest you go back to the agency and give them a kick up the bum for being so insulting to a registered nurse with 10 yrs experience to recruit her to a job paying less than a HCA.

Then walk - walk with your head high

@FudgeSundae

Yes seems low, but I just can’t understand how anyone starts a job without knowing how much they’ll be paid?

This.

How did you not know the hourly rate before you started?

@user1471462428

It’s not a care home but it is private. They look to be doing well looking at their public accounts *@FudgeSundae* I know it sounds naive but I’ve never worked in the private sector before and just expected her to tell the truth.

Surely your contract of employment/offer letter clarified the salary/hourly rate??

YABU to start a job without knowing what you're going to be paid. But she did slightly trick you in by saying it's around £14.

[quote Snookie00]@TreeLeaf4. why would the OP accept such an insultingly low wage if she can earn more elsewhere? If nursing homes can’t pay trained staff a decent wage then they shouldn’t be in business. It is not up to the OP to suffer because of a fucked up care system[/quote]
Quite. And five years ago my father was paying £1200 a WEEK to be in a nursing home. They are hardly cheap.

Care workers will be on the minimum wage, rightly or wrongly, but nurses are qualified professionals and should be on much more.

I assume hare or king for a care home? Tell them to stuff their job! It’s no wonder care homes are struggling to recruit. You are worth much more than that. Good luck.

I hope you've walked out and told them why, OP.

Fellow nurse here. Qualified 30 years.
Recently left Nursing Home (£18.00p/hr) to return to the NHS as Band 5 Registered Nurse. Wanted to return to the NHS for some time but the Covid National Emergency gave me the push to return. Currently on £15.00 per hour. (But there is more job security in the NHS). I would say that £10.00 per hour is very low unless there are other things included in the contract such as uniform provided and free meal while on duty etc. I would take it up with HR to see if there has been a misunderstanding and if it doesn't change I would look elsewhere (Lidl pay £10 p/HR in my local store, lol!)

That's crap. I get about that much as an HCA and obviously I don't have to pay a registration fee.

@TreeLeaf4

I’d assume this is a care home. The issue is that many care homes are under huge financial pressure atm. They are therefore having to reduce costs wherever possible.

A care home near me has reduced staffing and implemented wage cuts in order to be more efficient. I would just accept it for the moment.

How?

How are they? They charge the same a week as a week on a cruise ship. They are generally in large properties at a time when interest is low and equity is high.
Food is as cheap as it’s ever been, staff are all minimum wage ….( and there’s less of them than a cruise ship)
how?

Some of the people saying it's a competitive wage I get paid £10.40 per hour as a bank HCA I'm a student nurse weekends I get paid £13.40 it's shocking !! Definitely leave OP I wouldn't work for 10.60 as a newly qualified nurse.

OP, where is this? To be paid almost £4 under what they have said is just an example of what more lies and insults to come. I would walk. A nurse in a nursing home is on £16 an hour in the south west.

Nurses are on £17-20 here day shift private sector , extra weekends and nights walk out OP don't accept it!!

@FedUpAtHomeTroels

They should be ashamed of themselves paying so low. Take the payslip to your boss and tell them they got your pay wrong. Then tell them you'll be looking elsewhere. Where I work the nigh nurse earns £22 an hour and day nurses earn anywhere from £17 to £20 You for another job

This. First assume that this was an error, and if your boss says that it was not, then look elsewhere.

Nurses are so in demand right now here in the USA that no one would try to pull something like that!

Wow, seriously, that is near enough what I get paid for a retail job

Hiya @user1471462428 did you manage to speak with them today? Was it an admin error x hope you got it sorted or walked. If nothing else this year should’ve taught people across the globe is just how precious our nurses, drs and medical staff are x

Ex-nurse here, possibly with a plan to return to practice.

I worked as an agency nurse in nursing homes for many years as I could choose my hours around my husband's NHS shifts. Back in 2000/2005 I was earning a minimum of £13ph and up to £18 at weekends.

I wouldn't even consider working for £10.60 as a reg nurse.

Did you hand in your notice OP?

Apart from the ones at the top who seem to create personal shares from profit made. The same as so many places, claiming they need to make cutbacks, which all seem to happen at the bottom level, to make sure the managers and accountants can still get their cut.

Is this with a company who offers Private Care in people's home?

Under no circumstances accept it..... 3 yrs training and 10 yrs experience. Would you ask the police, fire brigade etc to take less. Alot of nurses have to pay for courses that are required to go forward in the job. Course fee, accommodation, food and travel costs. Enough is enough don't let people use the patient suffers chestnut. Nurses do enough free overtime already!

I’ve not been in work today, for meek mild person like me I’ve suddenly got red mist and have been concentrating on calming down before I go back in, think they saw me coming. Rang RCN and they opened a case file. It’s definitely not a mistake and the rate they are trying to pay me.

@vodkaredbullgirl

Blimey, I'm on more than that and I'm a senior carer, working nights.

And I'm not far off that and I'm a cleaner in a care home working days!!! Surely an administrative error?

That’s an absolute joke! I pay my nurses £21.50 per hour on days, £23.50 at night!