London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

NHS 5% pay offer may end bitter dispute in England

NHS 5% pay offer may end bitter dispute in England

A 5% pay rise from April has been offered to NHS staff in England, including nurses and ambulance workers.

In addition, staff have been offered a one-off payment of at least £1,655 to top up the past year's pay award.

Unions are recommending members back the deal, after nearly two weeks of talks with ministers, raising hopes the bitter dispute may be coming to an end.

The offer covers all NHS staff except doctors, who are on a different contract.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said it was a "fair pay rise" that would also protect the government's commitment to halve inflation.

"I hugely admire the incredible work of NHS staff," he said. "I look forward to continuing our work together to make the NHS a better place to work."

Mr Barclay said there had been movement on both sides and praised the "constructive engagement" of the unions.

Fourteen unions were represented at the talks, covering:

* nurses

* ambulance staff

* physiotherapists

* midwives

* support staff, including cleaners and porters

The biggest three - the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the GMB - are all backing the deal, while Unite the Union has said it cannot recommend it to members but will put it to a vote.

Unison head of health Sara Gorton said: "It's a shame it took so long to get here.

"Health workers had to take many days of strike action and thousands more had to threaten to join them to get their unions into the room and proper talks under way."

If her members accepted the deal, it would mean a "significant" boost in pay, Ms Gorton added.


RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: "Members took the hardest of decisions to go on strike and I believe they have been vindicated today."

But Unite told BBC News that it is not advising its members on how to vote on the pay offer because "it falls short of what we were asking for".

Speaking to BBC News, Unite official Onay Kasab said members "wanted a consolidated payment... they did not want one-off non-consolidated sums".

The offer, he claims, is "not really going to help recruitment in the NHS" because "only current staff members will get it".

It comes after a winter of industrial action, with nurses, ambulance staff and physios all striking.

The unions put further action on hold, after the two sides agreed to discussions last month.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "delighted" with the agreement over pay during a visit to a hospital in London on Thursday afternoon.

Despite weeks of criticism from opposition parties and unions about the government's "dither and delay" leading to more strikes, Mr Sunak said: "We have taken a reasonable approach throughout."

He also called the pay "affordable for the taxpayer and continues to deliver on my promise to halve inflation".

Mr Sunak and Mr Barclay visited a hospital in London on Thursday.


A Downing Street spokesperson later added the government does not believe the pay offer will be inflationary.

When asked about the fact it had said, earlier in the dispute, that giving more than a 3.5% pay award could stoke inflation, Mr Sunak's deputy spokesperson said he did not believe that would happen with this deal, adding: "We don't believe so. The two one-off payments for 22/23 we don't believe will create future inflationary pressures."

The spokesperson added the rise for the coming year would also not stoke inflation, since "5% is broadly in line with pay growth in the wider economy so we don't see it having an impact on private sector pay which ultimately leads to inflation".

And when asked whether the money to fund the rise would have to come from the existing NHS/Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) budget the spokesperson insisted frontline service would not suffer and discussions were taking place between the DHSC and the Treasury.

When asked about further money for the NHS to fund the deal, the spokesperson again said discussions would take place with the Treasury.

However, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting criticised the "last minute" nature of the offer, calling the government "incompetent" and saying Mr Barclay "doesn't know how he's going to pay for it".

"Even when they arrive at a solution it's so late that it causes a new wave of problems."


'Sigh of relief'


NHS staff have seen pay rise by an average of 4.75% during 2022-23 - with the lowest paid receiving the biggest rises - but unions had been asking for above-inflation rises, which at one point, would have equated to an increase of more than 14%.

The one-off payment to top up that pay award starts at £1,655 for the lowest-paid staff such as cleaners and porters and rises to just over £2,400 for the most senior front-line roles such as nurse consultants.

For staff in management positions, such as directors of nursing and chief finance officers, the one-off payment is worth up to £3,789.

The government had originally offered 3.5% from April, for the 2023-24 financial year - but during the talks, ministers agreed to 5%. The lowest paid will receive more.

Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, which represents managers, said health leaders would "breathe a sigh of relief". "We now await the decision of union members," he said.

He also urged the British Medical Association to enter talks - junior doctors staged a three-day walkout this week, in their fight for a 35% pay rise.

They say this is needed to make up for below-inflation wages rises over the past 15 years - but ministers say it is unaffordable.

Ministers have offered the BMA talks on the same basis as with the other unions - but it has declined.

Strike action has also been paused in Wales and Scotland by most unions while new offers are considered. The GMB in Scotland has accepted the Scottish offer, worth 14% over two years.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
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
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
×