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Nurses urged to vote for the new 5% pay offer

RCN and the DHSC have agreed to put forward a pay increase of 5% for 2023-24, and a one-off payment worth between £1,655 and £3,789 for 2022-23

RCN and DHSC have agreed to put forward a pay increase of 5% for 2023-24, and a one-off payment worth between £1,655 and £3,789 for 2022-23

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen (third from right) with nurses on the picket line outside St James Hospital in Leeds in December.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen (third from right) with nurses on the picket line outside St James Hospital in Leeds in December. Picture: John Houlihan

Nurses will be offered a 5% pay rise next year after health unions and the Government agreed a final pay offer.

After weeks of negotiations between the RCN and the Department of Health and Social Care, and later with other unions through the NHS Staff Council, both sides have agreed to put forward a pay increase of 5% for 2023-24 and a one-off payment worth between £1,655 and £3,789 for this year (2022-23).

Health unions recommend their members vote in favour of the deal

The offer is for all NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts. The RCN and Unison are both recommending their members vote in favour of the deal.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: ‘The government was forced into these negotiations and to reopen the pay award as a result of the historic pressure from nursing staff. Members took the hardest of decisions to go on strike and I believe they have been vindicated today.

‘After tough negotiations, there are a series of commitments here that our members can see will make a positive impact on the nursing profession, the NHS and the people who rely on it.

‘Our members will have their say on it and I respect everybody’s perspective. Each should look closely at what it means for them.’

Government agrees to create exclusive ‘pay spine’ for all nursing staff

In addition to the pay offer the RCN said the Government has agreed to create a new ‘pay spine’ exclusively for all nursing staff with the intention of it coming into force for 2024-25.

The Government has also committed to a national safe staffing framework, focusing on registered nurses, that will draw on legislation in the rest of the UK and internationally, the RCN said in a statement.

Some nurses say offer is a ‘slap in the face’ and urge members not to accept deal

RCN members will now vote in ballot on whether to accept or reject offer

Members of all six unions in the NHS staff council will now vote in ballots on whether to accept or reject the offer. It includes all members in England of the RCN, Unison, Unite, Royal College of Midwives (RCM), GMB and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

Ballots will take place over the coming weeks. In the meantime, all planned strike action will be paused until the results of the ballot.

If accepted, offer would boost pay significantly, says Unison

Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton said: ‘It's a shame it took so long to get here. Health workers had to take many days of strike action, and thousands more had to threaten to join them, to get their union into the room and proper talks underway.

‘If accepted, the offer would boost pay significantly this year and mean a wage increase next year that's more than the government had budgeted for. This is better than having to wait many more months for the NHS Pay Review Body to make its recommendation.’

It is not yet clear where the funding for the one-off payments or increased offer will come from after there was no new money in the yesterday’s budget for the NHS. The Government said in a statement it can ‘guarantee that there will be no impact on front-line services or the quality of care that patients receive as a result of this pay offer’.

In a joint statement, the Government and NHS Staff Council said: ‘Both sides believe it represents a fair and reasonable settlement that acknowledges the dedication of NHS staff, while acknowledging the wider economic pressures currently facing the UK.’


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