£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.

[RickiTarr]

[quote TreeLeaf4]@RickiTarr

Clearly nurses are not philanthropists and deserve to be paid reasonably for their roles.

However, it is not a career that people enter for money and many organisations that employ nurses have many constraints on what they can afford to pay.[/quote]
Of course it’s a career people enter for money. How many trustafarians and titled folk go into nursing these days? 99% of us have bills to pay. Your “oppressor of the workers” skit is all very amusing but knock it off now, eh?

[Egeegogxmv]

Staff have simply accepted the necessity of this and got on with their jobs
Staff have simply accepted that the owner must have their house extension, new car and exotic holiday and got on with their jobs

[SilverDragonfly1]

What part of the plan to underpay staff and thus end up only able to keep the ones with absolutely no other job options is efficient? Efficiency would involve paying a good wage and providing a good working environment so that the best people work for you, doing everything well and making the place run like clockwork, thus attracting more clients.

Of course, this would also involve the people at the top temporarily making less money and we all know that would be unthinkable.

[QueenOfPain]

I work for a not for profit who are contracted to provide services to the NHS. Triage is a big part of my role. I get £23 an hour on days, time and a third in the evenings, and time and two thirds weekends and overnight, double time on bank holidays.

They are totally taking advantage of you, do not stand for it. Seek urgent clarification of your contract and rate of pay and if they are not to your liking you MUST vote with your feet.

[DogsSausages]

Is it a large organisation, do they have a payroll or HR department you can check with, why are you on emergency tax. What did the job advert say about wages, it's way below a rn wage, I would walk unless it's a genuine mistake which hr can rectify immediately. You're better off doing bank or permanent in the NHS if you want the right wage, holiday, sickness and pension.

[RagzReturnsRebooted]

That's disgustingly low OP, it sound like they are trying to screw you over. I'd look for another job, even if they do agree to pay you more.
I went into private employment (General Practice) when I qualified and I negotiated my pay based on NHS agenda for change pay rates so that I wasn't worse off. My pay went up by £1 after my probation period so I'm now on £15 an hour which is reasonable for my sector and experience. £10.60 is less than our HCAs are paid.
I charge £23 an hour for my locum shifts as I have to pay my own tax etc.

[Viviennemary]

You should havd insisted on written confirmation of your hourly rate. Walk out. They are cheeky.

[user1471462428]

I do now know that I shouldn’t have trusted the word of the manager and should have asked for the contract before. I wrongly assumed as they are a national company that they would sort it out. By the way this company have profited massively out of covid so please don’t assume they can’t afford to pay me. It say registered nurse on my wage slip.

[DinosaurDiana]

No. Walk.

[DinosaurDiana]

If you’re doing Covid jabs I do know of nurses being paid that on a bank basis.

[blindmansbluff]

That is definitely an insultingly low wage for a nurse. I manage a team of unskilled cleaners who work in student accommodation and we pay them more than that

[billy1966]

Walk OP.

They are a disgrace.

I certainly wouldn't be accepting such responsibility in such a dishonest organisation AND I would tell them by email how dishonest they were.

THAT is a nice story for the paper's.
So dishonest.

[Egeegogxmv]

The more staff accept the unfair wage the more it is normalised and everyone else feels they have to fall in life!

[NeverDropYourMoonCup]

Fuck that.

I'd go for Bank Shifts in preference to that insult if I were you.

[Kitkat151]

@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.

I take it you are not a registered nurse🙄

[vintagenurse]

Know your worth as a nurse. Nurses are in a fortunate position of being able to pick and choose their work at the moment. £10.60 is less than bottom band 5 and all registered nurses should be paid the equivalent of a band 5 wage.
Have you got a vaccine centre near you? I'm doing bank shifts at our local one - £29 an hour on a Sunday and its the easiest money I've earned as a nurse

[Egeegogxmv]

Your colleagues will be disgruntled people who know they are being exploited but are trapped and unable to do anything about it, it's very difficult to be caring and empathic when you feel angry and stressed

[MingeofDeath]

That is more like carer wages not nurses rates. Have a word with your manager or leave, nurses can always get work.

[TreeLeaf4]

@Kitkat151

I’m not a registered nurse but I am a company director and DH is a headteacher. So I am aware of what it takes to run an organisation.

Clearly everyone would like higher pay but managers have a duty towards all stakeholders, including service users, staff and shareholders.

Most organisations are having to keep a tight control on costs in order to stay afloat at the moment. This includes ensuring wage costs can be kept as low as possible, as staff costs make up a huge proportion of expenditure.

[Egeegogxmv]

Or maybe they will top up your wages with a round of applause everyday 😶

[BearPie]

It’s now illegal for workers not to be given a contract before their first day of work.

[drinkingwineoutofamug]

I'm newly qualified nursing associate. £11.20 ph. I also have to pay my nmc fees. £120 same as a registered nurse.
So after everything tax, paye and pension I come out with less ph than a senior hca.
I have the same responsibility as a band 5 and above registered nurse.

[BettyBurntBuns]

What does your contract state?

[Dnaltocs]

Walk out.

[Egeegogxmv]

[quote TreeLeaf4]@Kitkat151

I’m not a registered nurse but I am a company director and DH is a headteacher. So I am aware of what it takes to run an organisation.

Clearly everyone would like higher pay but managers have a duty towards all stakeholders, including service users, staff and shareholders.

Most organisations are having to keep a tight control on costs in order to stay afloat at the moment. This includes ensuring wage costs can be kept as low as possible, as staff costs make up a huge proportion of expenditure.[/quote]
Organisations are struggling to stay afloat and their solution to this problem is to insult the people who do the real work?
Keep the shareholders happy, the ones who sit on their asses and do nothing, but insult the people who do the real work?
Why don't you offer the shareholders a round of applause instead?