NHS paramedics, nurses and hospital porters who are part of Unison have accepted the pay offer from the government
- It puts an end to the dispute in which tens of thousands of trade unionists are on strike
- Members will receive a 5% pay rise this year and a one-off bonus over last year
Paramedics, nurses and hospital porters in England who are members of Unison have accepted the government’s pay offer.
It ends the dispute that saw tens of thousands of trade unionists go on strike during the winter months, leading to massive disruption to the healthcare system.
The offer covers two pay years, with staff receiving a five percent pay rise this year and a one-time bonus for last year.
It comes ahead of an announcement this afternoon from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which called for an 18 per cent pay rise, on whether its members have accepted the same pay offer.
The union, which closed its membership ballot at 9am this morning, expects nurses to have turned it down and is planning another vote on a new wave of strike action, reports suggest.
Paramedics, nurses and hospital porters in England who are members of Unison have accepted the government’s pay offer. Pictured: Unison paramedics on the picket line outside the London Ambulance Service in Waterloo, south London, on February 10, 2023
It ends the dispute that saw tens of thousands of trade unionists go on strike over the winter months, leading to massive healthcare disruption
Sara Gorton, the union’s head of health, said: ‘Clearly health workers would have wanted more, but this was the best that could be achieved through negotiation.
“In recent weeks, health workers have weighed up the offer. They have opted for the certainty that they will have the extra money in their pocket quickly.
“It is unfortunate that it took several months of strike action before the government would commit to negotiations.
Unions told ministers last summer that the £1,400 pay rise was not enough to prevent staff from leaving the NHS, nor prevent strikes. But they wouldn’t listen.’
She said NHS staff were ‘forced to strike’ and ‘lost money they couldn’t afford’, while the health service and patients ‘suffered months of unnecessary disruption’.
Ms Gorton urged the government, which is still consulting with other unions representing the health workforce, to ‘ensure that NHS workers get the pay rises they voted for as soon as possible’.
She added: ‘This vote could end the UNISON dispute, but it won’t solve the wider staffing crisis that affects every part of the NHS. Now the government must work with the unions to establish a sustainable investment program in the workforce.
“Lessons must also be learned. The mistakes of the past months cannot be repeated. It’s time for a whole new approach to reward setting in the NHS.’
A government spokesman said: ‘The decision by members of Unison, the largest NHS union, to accept the wage offer recommended by their leadership demonstrates that it is a fair and reasonable proposal that can put an end to this dispute.
Under the offer, an Agenda for Change employee at the Band 6 entry point – such as a physiotherapist, paramedic or midwife – will receive more than £5,100 last year and this year, with more than £2,000 in bonus payments coming in at once sum in paychecks by summer.
“Hundreds of thousands of Agenda for Change employees will continue to vote for other unions over the next two weeks and we hope this generous offer will secure their support.”
