A Sinn Féin MP delegation met this morning with the Royal College of Nursing on the campaign for fair pay and wider concerns within the health service. 

Following the meeting, Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew said: 

“Today, a Sinn Féin MP delegation met representatives from the Royal College of Nursing on the ongoing campaign for fair pay and also their pressing concerns. 

“Nursing staff have been absolutely tremendous in protecting our families and communities in the most difficult and challenging of circumstances as COVID19 places enormous pressures on our health service. 

 “Health workers must be rightly acknowledged for their tireless efforts to save lives. This must be more than just semantics and be reflected in their pay and working conditions. 

 “I have written to the British Chancellor Rishi Sunak to request that he urgently engages with the health unions and commits to initiating pay talks on a rise for NHS workers. 

 “Sinn Féin are committed to continuing to work to enhance the working conditions of health and social care workers. This includes the need for safe staffing levels and ensuring protections and vaccines are easily accessible for frontline workers. 

“Sinn Féin MLA Jemma Dolan has also submitted a question to the Health Minister in the North to request detail on a pay reward for health workers.

 “Health and social care workers are the greatest asset of the service and Sinn Féin will continue to proactively support them.”