1. The Royal College of Midwives

2. The RCM is balloting members employed in the NHS in England for industrial action. We are recommending that members vote yes to both strike action and action short of a strike. The ballot runs from Monday 8 th September - Monday 29 th September.

3. The Royal College of Midwives We are facing an unprecedented attack over NHS pay - the recommendation of a 1% uplift for all NHS staff has been rejected. Staff at the top of their pay band will get a temporary 1% uplift which will be taken away at the end of the year. Staff not at the top of the band will get no increase.

4. The Royal College of Midwives In 2015/16 staff at the top of their pay band will receive a temporary 2% uplift which again will be taken away at the end of the year. Staff not at the top of their pay band will get no increase again in 2015/16.

5. The Royal College of Midwives This means that staff who are not at the top of their pay band will have a two year pay freeze. And staff at the top of their pay bands will only get temporary uplifts so in 2016 pay will return to 2013 levels

6. The Royal College of Midwives This is a fundamental attack on the NHS pay structure because it attempts to: Remove incremental progression; Move towards a bonus style pay structure with temporary uplifts that only some staff receive; and Remove the NHS Pay Review Body

7. The Royal College of Midwives We are campaigning for: Payment of the 1% uplift for all staff, as recommended by the PRB; An above inflation pay rise for 2015-2016; and A commitment to future pay rises that restore the value of NHS pay.

8. The Royal College of Midwives We believe that if you vote YES we can send a strong message that midwives and maternity support workers deserve fair pay. We believe investing in staff in an investment in better care – NHS staff deserve to be fairly rewarded for their hard work.

9. The Royal College of Midwives We are proposing to conduct a short work stoppage followed by action short of a strike that will highlight the goodwill you give to the NHS. The action will not put women and babies at risk and will not ask you to break your code of conduct.

10. The Royal College of Midwives We believe that if every RCM member votes yes to both action short of a strike and strike we will send a clear message and will have a good chance of getting you a better deal. Please make sure you use your vote!

11. The Royal College of Midwives Tweet @MidwivesRCM and tell us why you voted with the hashtags #whyIvoted #nhspay. Tell us your personal stories – why is fair pay important to you? Email paycampaign@rcm.org.uk paycampaign@rcm.org.uk Encourage your colleagues to vote too!

12. The Royal College of Midwives Here are some more reasons why we are saying enough is enough and you should vote yes…