NHS Pay Rise: Nurses Consider Industrial Action over 3% Increase

According to a union, nurses might consider industrial action over the offer of a 3% NHS pay rise in England and Wales.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will consult members, but workers are “angry” because they deserve more of an increase.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the pay rise recognises the “extraordinary efforts” of NHS staff.

Meanwhile, in November the government announced a 2021-22 pay freeze for those working in the public sector. This excludes people on salaries under £24,000 and NHS workers. However, school leaders say freezing pay for the majority of teachers in England is a “slap in the face”.

The 3% pay rise is backdated to April 2021, and includes most NHS employees, like nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and GPs. The government calculate the rise will mean an £1,000 a year for the average nurse. Meanwhile, porters and cleaners could receive about £540.

In March the Department for Health and Social Care were heavily criticised over proposals saying they could only afford a 1% rise. The 3% recommendation came from the independent NHS pay review body, which the government accepted.

“Angry and upset”

The director of the RCN in England says the process has been “shambolic” and nurses had “fallen way behind on pay”. The next step is to find out members’ views on the offer, but they expect an unhappy response to the low level. After finding out how everyone feels, they will decide what to do next, which could “most certainly” include industrial action.

Once inflation is taken into account, they will in effect actually be receiving a pay cut. Nurses are “really angry and upset” at the pay award, and feel they are not “valued for what they do”.

The RCN call for a 12.5% pay increase, to help fill job vacancies and retain staff.

Although the 3% increase is an improvement on the previous offer, many unions still believe it is less than NHS workers deserve. The increase is described as “insulting”, and recommended that workers reject the offer. The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors, also agree the pay rise is disappointing.

A Labour minister describes the new pay rise as a “U-turn”. They call on the government to “make our NHS and key workers feel supported and valued after all they have done for us”.

Pay rise recommendations

Pay rises for NHS employees need fully funding by government, rather than coming from existing hospital budgets.

NHS pay rises are recommended by independent bodies, who review pay by looking at evidence form a variety of groups. They make recommendations for staff across the UK, but each nation makes their own decision. The Welsh government are also offering NHS staff in Wales a 3% rise. Meanwhile NHS workers in Scotland already have an offer of a 4% increase, backdated to December 2020. Health and social care staff also received a one-off Covid payment of £500.

Elsewhere, the government confirm a pause to headline pay rises for the majority of public sector workforces in 2021-22.

However, the School Teachers’ Review Body recommends a pay award of £250 for all teachers earning less than £24,000 in England.

The pay freeze has come under criticism, described as “an absolute insult”, following a year of hard work by teachers during the pandemic. The pay freeze will also add to the challenges of recruiting more staff.

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