Fee hike for nurses

Britain’s nurses face further financial hardship as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) today decided to raise the registration fee by a further £20.

Nurses, health visitors, midwives and specialist community nurses will now have to pay ÂŁ120 every year in order to practise in the UK. Last year the fee increased from ÂŁ76 to ÂŁ100.

The fee hike comes on top of more than five years of wage freezes.

“Nurses have seen their pay eroded by up to 15 per cent in real terms since 2010,” said Jane Beach, Unite professional officer. “Our members feel they have been kicked in the teeth by the NMC, which pushed ahead with no regard for opposition.”

98 per cent said no

In a consultation on fee increases 98 per cent of Unite members didn’t agree with the fee increase and the decision was made despite the fact that the NMC has almost £10 million in its reserves.

Unite’s policy is that there should be a freeze on any fee hike until at least March 2016 – and even then , any increase should be linked to the annual pay rise for NHS staff.

This morning Unite members greeted the NMC outside 23 Portland Place with a giant ÂŁ20 note which they cut in half to demonstrate their anger at the decision.

Tax on jobs

“The protest was designed to drive home the depth of feeling that our members have on the fee hike,” said Jane Beach. “They are still reeling from absorbing the last 32 per cent increase in the registration fee, which is, basically, a tax on jobs.”

Those affected include health visitors, acute and mental health nurses, school nurses and midwives.