Almost 280,000 nurses in England will vote on whether to accept or reject the government’s NHS pay offer from today.
Following six days of strike action since mid-December, negotiations were held between the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), along with other unions, and health ministers in late February and early March.
The government subsequently made a pay offer on 16 March. The RCN is recommending its members accept the deal.
Only RCN members employed on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts will be eligible to vote, in a ballot open from 28 March until 14 April.
AfC is the national pay system for all NHS staff, with the exception of doctors, dentists and most senior managers.
The offer made by the UK government consists of:
• Two one-off payments for the current financial year 2022/23. When combined, these amounts are worth between £1,655 and £3,789 dependent on salary band, and are additional to increases to pay already made this financial year. These are referred to as non-consolidated amounts since they do not count towards members’ pensions and are not added to their future pay packet.
• A 5% consolidated (permanent) pay increase for 2023/24 for all those at point 2 of band 2 and above.
• A series of commitments and plans to improve pay, terms and conditions over time. These include a specific commitment to the RCN to consider a new pay spine exclusively for all nursing staff, as part of work to tackle challenges with career and pay progression with the intention that resulting changes can be delivered within the 2024/25 pay year. The offer also includes commitments on safe staffing and tackling violence.
Click to subscribe to the Sophy Ridge on Sunday podcast
RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: “Ministers spent many months ignoring the voice of nursing and they forced us to take extremely difficult strike action before recognising the need to look again at pay in the NHS.
“Weeks of negotiation resulted in a new offer and it’s only right that we ask our members to vote again and to give their view on the government’s proposal.
“Whatever the members decide, we will build on the last few months of campaigning for fair pay and recognition.”
Read more:
Nurses in Scotland accept new pay offer – but warn strikes not off table
NHS pay rises will cost £4bn and be funded from ‘areas of underspending’
She added that members were being urged to “look at the offer in full”.
“Nursing staff have fought proudly for their profession and patients alike in recent months. Our membership has never been stronger and their determination has led to this new offer,” she said.
Tens of thousands of nurses from the RCN went on strike for the first time in their more than 100-year history just before Christmas, then again in January and February.
The move in England to suspend walkouts followed a similar postponement in Wales.
In Scotland, NHS nurses have been offered a 6.5% pay rise, plus a lump sum payment, for 2023-2024. Nurses there voted to accept the offer but also didn’t rule out future strikes.
Many other disputes are still ongoing, with junior doctors staging a three-day strike in England earlier this month in a separate row with the government over pay.
