Open letter to Dr Camilla Kingdon, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Board of Trustees.

Dear President and Trustees of the RCPCH,

We are writing to you as members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to urge you to increase the pay offer that the College has made to its staff.

We stand in complete solidarity with members of the Unite union who have made the difficult decision to take strike action to protect their pay. 

As both doctors in training and consultants, we have seen our own pay dramatically eroded due to years of below inflation pay rises. Doctors in our unions have stood up to demand pay restoration and a wage that respects the work that we do.

We therefore cannot accept that it is right for our colleagues who work for the College to be offered a below inflation pay rise that amounts to a real-terms pay cut. 

We believe that RCPCH staff are justified in rejecting an offer of 5% for 2022-23 and 3% for 2023-24, when inflation remains over 10%. Similar pay proposals have been rejected by our nursing colleagues in the NHS.

Many of the College staff are struggling to pay bills and support themselves and their families. As paediatricians we see the impact of declining wages in increasing rates of child poverty and worsening health inequalities. The RCPCH have shown great leadership in drawing attention to the impact of poverty on child health and the College now has a chance to lead by example.

As members we are acutely aware of the cost of our College membership fees, which we are required to pay to access specialty training, and many members will wonder why their fees are not being used to properly remunerate those who provide the services we need.

We strongly urge the RCPCH to make an improved pay offer to Unite. It is in all of our interests to do so. 

Yours sincerely ,