The Health Secretary has urged all unions to accept the outcome and drop plans for further strike action.
A majority of health unions have signed off on the proposed NHS pay settlement.
The controversial pay deal was signed off at a meeting between the government and 14 health unions representing around one million NHS workers earlier today.
Under the deal, NHS workers in England would receive a 2% non-consolidated pay rise and a so-called “Covid-recovery bonus” for the current financial year, plus a rise of 5% for most workers in 2023/24.
The largest health union, Unison, alongside the Royal College of Midwives, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB, the British Orthoptic Society, and the British Association of Occupational Therapists all voted to accept the deal.
A fair outcome.
However, the Royal College of Nursing, Unite, the Society of Radiographers and Royal College of Podiatry voted to reject the deal meaning it may not be the end to industrial action.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was pleased the offer had been accepted by the majority of unions and called upon those who rejected it to recognise it as a “fair outcome”.
“Where some unions may choose to remain in dispute, we hope their members – many of whom voted to accept this offer – will recognise this as a fair outcome that carries the support of their colleagues and decide it is time to bring industrial action to an end.
“We will continue to engage constructively with unions on workforce changes to ensure the NHS is the best place to work for staff, patients and taxpayers.”
Health unions are hoping the rise and any back payments are made by June but it may take considerably longer based on previous years.
Voted to accept.
The deal will be implemented for all NHS workers regardless of if their union voted to accept or reject the deal.
UNISON head of health Sara Gorton, who chairs the union group on the NHS staff council, said: “NHS workers will now want the pay rise they’ve voted to accept.
“The hope is that the one-off payment and salary increase will be in June’s pay packets.
“But health staff shouldn’t have needed to take action in the first place. Unions made clear to ministers last summer that £1.400 wasn’t enough to stop staff leaving the NHS, nor prevent strikes.”
Ms Gorton added, “This pay deal must be the start of something new in the NHS. There cannot be a repeat of the past few months. Everyone who cares about the NHS deserves better. That means improving the process that sets health worker wages
Nurses remain in dispute.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been clear it will not drop the dispute over pay.
In an open letter to the Health Secretary following the announcement, RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said, “Despite today’s meeting and the outcome that reflects the votes across all unions, the RCN remains in formal dispute with the government and the NHS over pay levels.
“I entirely respect those, in our membership and that of other unions, who voted to accept. However, that was not the prevailing view of nursing staff. Nursing is the largest part of the NHS workforce and they require an offer that matches their true value.
“We understand the government’s intention now to pay the award to the NHS workforce as a whole. Though the pay offer was not enough for our members, I have repeatedly said that the government’s approach should be to build upon it and that remains our position.”
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