The government mustn’t sit on the report it’s received from the NHS pay review body but should put health workers out of their misery and confirm this year’s wage rise, says UNISON today (Tuesday).
The report containing the pay review body’s recommendations for the 2025/26 increase was handed to ministers at the end of last week, says the union.
Health workers should’ve had this year’s wage rise two weeks ago. But ministers’ decision to stick with the ‘painfully slow’ pay review body process means NHS staff are still in the dark about what they’ll be getting and when, adds the union.
Direct pay talks with unions could have delivered a wage rise on time, says UNISON. Adding that recent developments in Scotland have shown the benefits of getting round the table.
Since ditching the pay review body process in 2018, NHS salaries in Scotland are now several thousand pounds more than those for comparable jobs in the rest of the UK.
Last week, pay negotiations between the Scottish government and unions concluded with a two-year offer, which health workers start voting on this week. The offer is above the cost of living and comes with an inflation guarantee.
In the absence of any movement in England and Wales, UNISON wants to hear from its members who work for the NHS as to how far they’d be prepared to go over pay.
In a consultation exercise beginning this week, the union is asking health workers in England and Wales whether they’d be prepared to strike if the 2025/26 pay award fails to keep up with rising living costs.
UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “Health workers’ water, energy and council tax bills have all gone up this month, yet the pay rise they’re due is nowhere to be seen.
“This is a government that wants to restore decision-making in the NHS to ministers rather than rely on arms-length organisations. That must apply to NHS pay too.
“The pay review body process operates at arms-length and is painfully slow and unaccountable. As a result, this year’s pay rise for NHS staff is already a couple of weeks late.
“Finally ministers have some recommendations from the pay review body to consider. The health secretary should avoid the mistakes of his predecessors. Sitting on the report will only make matters worse.
“Scottish health workers already earn more than their colleagues in the rest of the UK and they could be set for a wage boost before everyone else too. That’s bound to raise questions about whether ministers in Westminster have got their priorities right.
“The fact that health workers are having to consider what action they would be prepared to take on pay should be a wake-up call for the government.
“The NHS needs staff to help it back onto its feet and reduce waits for patients. With so much at stake ministers need to show they value the workforce.
“That starts with ensuring a decent pay rise and getting on with the talks they promised last summer to fix long-running problems with the NHS pay structure.
“It’s time the Westminster government pulled out all the stops on NHS pay.”
Notes to editors:
– The Scottish government’s offer to health unions is 4.25% for this year and 3.75% for 2026/27. It also includes an ‘inflation guarantee’, which means, if accepted, NHS staff in Scotland would be paid 1% above the CPI rate of inflation should that increase. UNISON’s Scottish health committee met last week and decided to recommend members vote to accept the offer. Voting on the offer begins this week.
– NHS workers across the UK should have received their 2025/26 annual wage rise a fortnight ago (Tuesday 1 April). But this has been delayed as the Westminster government has opted to stick with the NHS pay review body process, instead of having talks with health unions, with the administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland following suit. Delays to the 2025/26 pay increase have already forced an emergency intervention to boost wages for the lowest-paid NHS workers in England and Northern Ireland to avoid employers being in breach of minimum wage laws. And overseas health workers due to renew their visas could find themselves at risk of deportation as the salary threshold has gone up, leaving some earning too little to qualify.
