£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 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.

So the job advert said £14, yet they're trying to get away with paying you £10.60?!

Did it say up to £14, or £14?

If it's the latter then that is disgraceful behaviour.

@titchy. It’s not a legal requirement to have a written contract of employment - a verbal ‘contract’ is formed when the job is offered and accepted on the agreed terms. OP should have clarified it verbally before accepting though.

As a fellow nurse,walk away, you deserve more and will earn more elsewhere-honestly walk away asap

Can you say to them that you accepted a role at £14ph as advertised and confirmed to you verbally, and so you’re pretty sure there’s a mistake in your pay. Gives them a chance to rectify the error and sets out your understanding.

Walk. That is ridiculous.

Explain you understood the pay to be £14 per hour.

@user1471462428

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.

Well done for reporting them. I'm looking to study nursing and currently working as a nanny for £15 an hour net. They are really wanting to take advantage. Seems cuts are always at the bottom yet client fees are always going up. Greedy employer. Hope you get a better job elsewhere.

The manager wouldn't work for 10.60!

As a fellow nurse I would walk, you do know registration fee can be set off against tax?

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.

Why? Sorry but nurses aren't heaven sent volunteers or willing to work from the goodness of their hearts. Care homes charge residents an unbelievable amount of money to stay there and for (IMHO) sometimes substandard care. I wouldn't work for that, I've been qualified half the time you have and am on my top increment for my banding. Go NHS, much better security, holidays etc. Not the best of working conditions by £10 is a joke.

It’s not like your saving people’s life’s or anything …. Oh wait yes you are ! Walk the hell out of that place

PAY THESE DAMN NURSES !!!

@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.

An aside to the main thread, but this kind of thing needs to be addressed. A reduction in residents and therefore staff needed is the only reason that a care home should cut staff levels, not to cut costs. The residents still need the care they need regardless of the balance sheet of the business. Why on earth is this acceptable? It shows the utter state of social care, and the attitudes towards it, that it is. And I can almost guarantee that when something goes wrong, it'll be the staff left behind working twice as hard to cover the shortfall that will take the blame, not the fact that the business cut staffing levels.

And OP, our senior care get more than that, that's appalling.

I’d walk op, I earn more than that and I work in a call centre x

I think NHS Band 3 (senior support) probably get more than than. I would start applying for other jobs. It's only by accepting low wages that organisations get away with paying them. There should be plenty of jobs around for qualified nurses, there always seems to be a shortage. I would definitely question it, it might be that someone put in the wrong code, or just they they are being cagey because they are trying to get away with it.

I think Aldi pay more

It is the correct pay I’ve been sent a letter by their pension scheme saying that my annual salary is predicted to be below 10k so I’m not automatically joining their scheme either. I’m trying to get hold of my manager as I’d like to talk to her before walking out. I’ve learnt a lot from this experience, in the nhs I’d always got my contract a few days into my post but I guess I have a lot to learn about the private sector. I’ve also learnt not to trust people because they work for a big name. It’s a pity as it was a job I was really interested in a niche area. Oh well.

Oh that’s awful! I really hope that they reconsider what they are paying you. If she’d said “around £10” then £.10.60 would’ve been fine, but not when you’re told it’s around £14!
Best of luck and let us know if they reconsider the pay!

Why on earth would this even be a question?

No nurse should be on less than £16 an hour, that is band 5 wage. How disgusting of them. I’m assuming that it’s a private company. Get to the NHS!

OP try and get a written explanation from your employer. You are being paid tuppence for your value and aren't even in their pension scheme.

Please get that explanation and whatever you decide to do, send their reply and your problems to your MP.

Parliament is discussing social care and hospital care. Your evidence might be very useful. The current government is saying (a) Pritti Patel that they will reduce the number of trained foreign staff coming in (b) that while nursing bursaries are back it's at 30 per cent of the early part of the century (c) they are trying to work out how to make social/hospital care work better so bed blocking, care in the home etc does not injure the elderly, frees up hospitals etc.

Having homes run by private investors paying you just over minimum wage does not work IMHO. Not for you, not for the residents, not for the hospital system.

I work for a private hospital and the wage is shocking, they know they pay bad as they never ever advertise the salary as no one would apply. the company is renown for it.

@Borisjohnsonshairbrush I’ve a feeling that we work for the same chain.... I need to get hold of my contract to find my notice period. Think I’m still in my probationary period but want to give notice as they may not be professional but I am.

So taking the piss 🤨

OP, Could be! my job in the the NHS is about 4k a year more and less stress/responsibility

It’s a bit weird that you didn’t agree your salary before you started work, that handed them a lot of power which they are obviously taking advantage of. I’d speak to them and say I had understood that the pay was £14 per hour, but my payslip is much lower, what’s going on? If they refuse to give you the pay you expected then don’t work there…

well actually i walked .....i got a job on at a hospice as bank ,as i love palliative care but when the contract came through the hourly rate was awful after 24 years as a nurse!! As much as id of loved to work there i have family & self worth.