London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Britain and healthcare unions agree on pay rise proposal after months of strikes

Britain and healthcare unions agree on pay rise proposal after months of strikes

The British government and healthcare unions on Thursday agreed on a pay proposal with a 5% wage increase in the coming year and urged workers to accept it, potentially ending strikes that have disrupted the National Health Service (NHS) for months.
The new agreement would cover 1 million nurses, paramedics, midwives and other workers in England for two years through early April 2024. The strikes will end only if members approve the deal after a period of consultation by trade unions, almost all of which recommended the new offer.

"This offer is good for NHS staff, it’s good for the taxpayer and most importantly it is good news for patients whose care will no longer be disrupted by strike action," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

Sunak has been under growing pressure to quell the worst wave of British worker unrest since the 1980s, with strikes affecting almost every aspect of daily life from healthcare and transport to schools and border checks.

Both sides believe the new offer represents a "fair and reasonable settlement," a joint statement by the government and a group of NHS employers and unions said. The deal does not apply to junior doctors, who are in a separate dispute.

The offer includes a one-off payment of 2% of 2022/23 salaries and a 5% pay rise for 2023/24, which begins in early April, the government said. No overall cost to the public purse was provided.

Three of the unions — Unison, GMB and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) — said they recommended their members accept the offer, arguing that while it did not address all of their concerns, it did represent progress. Unions generally sought wage hikes more in line with inflation, which has been near 10%.

"Members took the hardest of decisions to go on strike and I believe they have been vindicated today," RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said. "It is not a panacea, but it is real tangible progress."

Unite said it would pause strike action while members were consulted, but it was unable to recommend the offer. The union did not give a specific reason for this decision.

'FAR FROM PERFECT'

The NHS, which has been free at the point of use since 1948 and a source of pride for many Britons, has been particularly affected by strikes as it was already grappling with a staffing crunch and struggling to recover from pandemic-induced strain.

The agreement is a significant breakthrough, coming a day after half a million Britons went on strikes to coincide with the government's budget. Last month, tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance service staff staged the biggest strike in the NHS' 75-year history.

The GMB said the offer was "far from perfect", but that the government had put an extra 2.5 billion pounds ($3.03 billion) on the table.

Both Sunak and Health Minister Steve Barclay declined to say how much the pay offer would cost the government, which had maintained that meeting demands for pay that better reflected double-digit inflation would only risk driving prices higher.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said the latest pay deal would see NHS pay grow slightly faster than inflation in the coming financial year, and details of the government's funding for the offer remained hazy.

"It is unclear whether the Treasury will eventually provide the funding required to cover the cost of this deal," IFS Senior Research Economist Ben Zaranko said.

"If it did, that would be a material alteration to the spending plans contained in this week's budget before the ink is dry."

($1 = 0.8259 pounds)
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×