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New pay offer for nurses looks imminent

Health unions call off strikes and agree to enter talks after government confirms new money will be available 
Striking NHS workers with Unison banner

Health unions call off strikes and agree to enter talks after government confirms new money will be available 

Striking NHS workers with Unison banner
Striking NHS workers with Unison banner Picture: Alamy

An increased pay offer for NHS nurses in England looks imminent after the government confirmed additional investment would be available this year.

All health unions representing striking NHS workers have now called off planned industrial action after they agreed to enter pay talks with the government.

Unison, Unite, GMB Union and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy suspended strike action planned for today and 8 March involving thousands of NHS workers after being invited to formal talks with the government.

DHSC confirms there will be additional investment in pay for staff on Agenda for Change contracts

The decision comes after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed there would be additional investment in pay for staff on Agenda for Change contracts both this year (2022-23) and next (2023-24). It made clear in a letter to unions that any new offer for the current year will be a non-consolidated one-off payment for staff.

Unison head of health Sara Gorton said: ‘Unions said all along they could pause strikes if ministers would only commit to formal talks to boost pay for this year.

‘The government has finally promised extra investment in pay for both this and next year. The sad thing is this could all have been handled so differently.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen with strikers at St James's University Hospital in Leeds
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen with strikers at St James's University Hospital in Leeds Picture: John Houlihan  

Pay offer would be funded by ‘new money’ rather than placing further pressure on NHS budgets

'Proper pay talks should have started months ago, long before the first strike was called. That would have avoided days of disruption for the NHS and its patients.’

In a statement Unite said it had received confirmation from the government that an increased pay offer would be funded by ‘new money’ rather than placing further pressure on NHS budgets.

Health unions previously raised concerned about being excluded from pay talks, after health and social care secretary Steve Barclay launched pay negotiations with the RCN on 22 February.

Following stark warnings about the risks of talks with only one union Mr Barclay extended an invitation to all health unions that represent NHS workers on Agenda for Change contracts, which includes the majority of staff except doctors, dentists and senior management.

But Ms Gorton said on Monday she will be entering talks with ‘extreme caution’ and the government has ‘ground to make up’ to rebuild an atmosphere of trust in the talks, after it had tried to ‘pick off the RCN.’

Talks are planned to run all day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between the government and the RCN, Unison, Unite, the GMB, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Royal College of Midwives.

Ms Gorton confirmed that unless talks were ‘meaningful’ Unison would resume strike action. Currently strikes are planned for 20 March and could still go ahead unless progress in made.

Strikers at the Royal Marsden in London
Strikers at the Royal Marsden in London Picture: John Houlihan

Hopes for talks to signal that beginning of the end of the current dispute will emerge in the coming days

‘Whether the talks signal the beginning of the end of the current dispute will emerge in the coming days. However, when we get in the room, we’ll quickly learn whether the talks can be meaningful. If not, Unison will be forced to resume strike action. Nobody wants that,’ she said.

A DHSC spokesperson said: ‘We’re pleased that Agenda for Change unions representing the majority of ambulance workers, nurses, physiotherapists, porters, cleaners and other non-medical staff have agreed to pause strikes and enter a process of intensive talks.

‘Further strikes will cause more frustration and delays for patients, despite contingency plans in place.’


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