Nurses’ pay dispute: quick guide to what’s being offered, where

NHS nursing staff are battling for better pay and working conditions, with unions in each part of the UK at a different stage in negotiations

This article was updated on 17 March to reflect developments in England

Nurses in England have walked out for a sixth time in their dispute on better pay and working conditions, but elsewhere in the UK, industrial action has been averted – for now.

While the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) £1,400 recommendation in July 2022 covered the whole of the NHS, the four parts of the UK are at different stages of negotiations for a better deal.

Here’s what is happening in in all four corners of the UK.

ENGLAND: nurses to vote on new pay offer

A new pay offer is on the table for nurses in England after weeks of negotiations with the Westminster government.

The new offer consists of two non-consolidated payments, one of 2% and the other dubbed an ‘NHS backlog bonus’ worth the equivalent of 4% of nurses' current pay.

• RELATED: Nurses urged to vote for the new 5% pay offer

The one-off payments are worth between £1,655 and £3,789 for staff on Agenda for Change contracts in England, according to the RCN. This is on top of the 4% already given for 2022-23.

Additionally, nurses will see a 5% pay rise for 2023-24, a rise from the initially proposed 3.5%.

• RELATED: NHS nurses' pay rise should be capped at 3.5% next year

A number of non-pay-related measures were also put forward, including an agreement to create a new pay structure exclusive to nursing staff, as well as a promise of a national evidence-based policy on safe staffing.

The new offer will now be put to union members in a ballot. The RCN is recommending its members accept the offer, as is Unison.

The RCN entered negotiations with the government on 22 February, agreeing to call off a 48-hour strike while talks took place. Two weeks later other health unions were invited to talks after warning of the ‘perilous’ consequences of being excluded.

• RELATED: Strikes halted for ‘intensive’ pay talks

Nurses went on strike for a sixth day on 7 February, after similar walkouts on 15 and 20 December, 18 and 19 January and 6 February.

In July 2022, a much-delayed 2022-23 pay offer of 4%, or around £1,400, was announced. Some 300,000 RCN members were balloted on the offer, with the majority of those who voted rejecting it.

• RELATED: Nurse to stage biggest strike in NHS history

Nurses will now be asked to vote for the new offer. However, strikes are not off the table; RCN members gave the college a mandate to press on with industrial action until May, so further strikes could take place if the offer is rejected.

SCOTLAND: Industrial action averted for the time being and ministers agree to fast-track offer for 2023-24

Despite nurses voting to strike, walkouts in Scotland have been avoided after the Scottish Government made a revised pay offer for 2022-23 and accelerated its offer for 2023-24.

The Holyrood government revised its pay offer to 8% in November 2022 after its initial offer was rejected. RCN members again rejected that offer and strikes were back on the table.

But follow-up talks resulted in suspension of action in February on condition swift progress could be made on next year’s pay offer. And on 17 February, ministers put forward a pay offer for the forthcoming financial year of 6.5% for most staff on Agenda for Change contracts, plus a one-off payment of between £461 and £821, depending on the band.

• RELATED: Pay boost makes NHS nurses in Scotland the best-paid in the UK

Alongside the accelerated offer for 2023-24, the proposal includes:

• Promise to match any NHS pay increase in England next year if it is higher than that agreed in Scotland.
• Review of the Agenda for Change pay bands.

The RCN is recommending its members accept the offer. A ballot opened on 28 February and will run until 20 March.

• RELATED: Nurses urged to vote for pay deal to be best paid in the UK
• RELATED: Strike plans pause in Scotland after fresh offer

WALES: Strike ultimatum to ministers after members reject enhanced pay offer

Nursing staff staged strikes on 15 and 20 December last year. RCN members had been due to continue industrial action on 6 and 7 February, but this was called off thanks to last-ditch talks with the government.

• RELATED: Nurses’ strikes suspended in Wales as ministers make new offer

Ministers offered 3% on top of the current 4% offer, to be backdated to April 2022.

The Welsh Government has since published a more detailed breakdown of the offer. The extra 3% consists of a 1.5% consolidated rise that will be permanently added to salaries; the other 1.5% is non-consolidated, which means it is a one-off payment.

Non-pay elements include:

• Unsocial hours allowance to be reinstated after three weeks’ sickness absence rather than six
• A review of career progression starting with nurses and others on bands 5-6
• A commitment to the principle of restoring pay to 2008 levels, which will include influencing the UK government and the NHS Pay Review Body processes
• Establishing a working group to explore reducing working hours to a 36-hour week without loss of earnings
• A pledge to reduce reliance on agency staff by making NHS employment more attractive
• Commitments to drive up retention and ensure flexible working – including a new policy on retire and return

RCN members overwhelmingly rejected the latest offer in a ballot that closed on 27 February, putting strike action back on the table.
The college has now written to minister for health and social services Eluned Morgan calling for fresh pay talks, giving the government five days from 28 Febraury to respond before planning for industrial action.

NORTHERN IRELAND: Pay dispute drags on thanks to political vacuum

NHS nursing staff voted for industrial action and joined the first phase of RCN strikes in December after rejecting the £1,400 pay offer made by the Department of Health.

Political deadlock and suspension of government means the pay offer came later than elsewhere in the UK.

• RELATED: Delayed pay offer to nurses in Northern Ireland rejected

RCN director Rita Devlin confirmed that while there are no further strike dates planned, college members remain in dispute over pay. Further strikes are not ruled out.

It looks likely further action will depend on concessions from Westminster, and strikes could be co-ordinated with those in England. New strike dates could be announced in the coming weeks.

This article was originally published on 7 February 2023

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