NURSES will be balloted by their union over the next month after talks concluded between the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales and the Welsh Government in a bid to bring to an end a series of strikes over an ongoing pay battle.

RCN Wales - which called off strike action in July to re-enter talks with the Welsh Government after months of strikes and failed negotiations - said the “new offer includes improvements to flexible working arrangements, overtime payments, and commitments to review national role profiles and steps to limit the care patients receive in inappropriate settings.”

The strike action, scheduled for 12 and 13 July was called off following an offer by the Welsh Government to undertake further talks with the RCN on the non-pay elements of the pay award.

RCN Wales will be balloting members on the new offer from Monday, 31 July to Thursday, 31 August and is not making a recommendation on how members vote.

In June, a narrow majority of RCN members voted (53 to 47 per cent) to reject the Welsh Government pay offer on the table, leading to further strike action and talks resuming.

RCN Wales said the outcome of the latest vote “will determine the next step in the RCN’s ongoing trade dispute with the Welsh Government.”

Helen Whyley, director of RCN Wales said: “Our members have always acted in the best interest of their profession and the safety of their patients.

“It is their sheer determination, and the threat of further strikes that once again forced the Welsh government to do better.

“These improvements could have a significant impact on the working lives of our members and their ability to deliver high-quality patient care whilst maintaining their own wellbeing.

“While they focus on non-pay elements of nurses’ terms and conditions, several of them will result in more money in our members’ pockets.

“As always, our members will decide whether these terms go far enough to end our current dispute with the Welsh Government and NHS organisations.

“These latest improvements, if accepted, will pave the way for full pay restoration in the years to come and our continued work with the Welsh Government to secure the best for members.

“The campaign will not stop here whatever the outcome.

“We know that to achieve fair pay for nursing and a safely staffed workforce, we need short-, medium- and long-term action from the government and we will continue to demand and secure just that.”

RCN Wales said that “further strike action and a further statutory ballot on industrial action remain paused while a consultation takes place.”