London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Nov 28, 2025

NHS strikes: Midwives in England vote to accept NHS pay offer

NHS strikes: Midwives in England vote to accept NHS pay offer

Midwives in England have voted to accept the latest NHS pay offer, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says.
The offer covers two years and includes an additional one-off amount for 2022/23 and and 5% rise for 2023/24.

Nurses with the Royal College of Nursing have already turned down the offer and they plan more strike action. Members of the Society of Radiographers also voted against it.

The RCM said the offer was "not perfect" but was a "step forward".

The vote saw a turnout of 48% of eligible members working in the NHS in England, with 57% voting to accept the deal and 43% rejecting it.

The offer was also made to NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts - which include most workers apart from doctors, dentists and senior managers.

Alice Sorby, director of employment relations at the RCM, added "the collective unions standing together, with our members behind us, that brought the government to the table and led to this improved offer".

Members of Unison, the largest NHS union, also voted overwhelmingly to accept the pay offer aimed at resolving the long-running NHS dispute.

Other unions including Unite, GMB and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists are due to announce their ballot results over the coming days.

A government spokesperson said the decision by the RCN to accept the pay offer showed it is a fair and reasonable proposal that can bring this dispute to an end".

The NHS Staff Council - made up of health unions, employers and Government representatives - is due to meet on 2 May and will report back to the government on the outcome of consultations from the unions.

Members of the RCN are due to begin a 48-hour strike on 30 April. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was applying to the High Court to declare the walkout on 2 May unlawful arguing the mandate runs out the day before.

However, Mr Barclay shared a letter on Twitter on Wednesday evening in which he appeared to suggest the RCN had not submitted any legal argument that the action planned for 2 May is lawful.

In the letter, which he had written to RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, he says that he understands that the RCN's legal team have been instructed not to attend court.

If the government succeeds the strike would still start on Sunday at 20;00 BST but would have to end earlier on 1 May.

The union's general secretary Pat Cullen wrote an email to staff on Wednesday evening saying "we expect that ministers could be successful in putting their full weight on the court."

She went on to add that "if they win, we'll be letting members know that the strike will end at midnight on Monday 1 May and not the following evening."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
×