London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Pat Cullen: Nursing union calls for double-digit pay rise to restart talks

Pat Cullen: Nursing union calls for double-digit pay rise to restart talks

The leader of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called on the health secretary to restart pay negotiations with a proposed rise in double digits.

Most health unions accepted an offer of a 5% rise for 2023-24 and a one-off backdated payment for last year, following a 4% rise for 2022-23.

The RCN has rejected the deal.

A source from the Department of Health said the pay offer was final, with Energy Secretary Grant Shapps calling the deal on the table "very generous".

Speaking to the Times, union boss Pat Cullen praised her "courageous" members and urged ministers to reopen talks, starting with an offer of a double-digit pay rise over the two-year period.

The RCN had last year called for a rise of 5% above the RPI inflation rate, which peaked above 14% in October, but no UK nation has offered close to that.

It later called for RCN union members to accept the government deal, but they voted against it by 54% to 46%.

The nursing union will now ballot for further strike action later this month.

In her interview, Ms Cullen said: "Looking back on this pay offer, I may personally have underestimated the members and their sheer determination."

She called on Health Secretary Steve Barclay to reopen negotiations which she said needed to "start off in double figures".

Ministers owe it to nurses "not to push them to have to do another six months of industrial action right up to Christmas", she added.

An RCN spokesperson added: "The negotiations covered two financial years which resulted in a consolidated NHS pay increase of 9%. When our members rejected that, it is clear they expect an offer into double figures."

Nurses in England went on strike for 24 hours on 1 May - it was the first time RCN members walked out of all areas, including intensive care.

They also took industrial action on two other occasions earlier this year, on 6 and 7 February and on 18 and 19 January.

Mr Shapps told Sky News that it was "curious" for Ms Cullen to be asking for a double-digit rise when members had previously been encouraged to accept the smaller offer.

He said he thought it was a "great settlement", adding: "I thought it's terrific that it had been reached.

"It's frankly rather confusing now that having encouraged her members to accept that deal, she seems to now be coming back and saying the opposite."

Asked if it was an "absolutely no" to a double-digit pay rise, he replied: "You've got to balance that with the rest of the public purse and there's a very generous offer now on table... and I think it would be a great way to get this settled."

Speaking ahead of the annual RCN congress in Brighton, Ms Cullen said she was "proud" of RCN members.

She praised their "selflessness" for rejecting the government's pay offer and losing pay on strike days to "stand up for the NHS".

"Nurses believe it's their duty and their responsibility because this government is not listening to them on how to bring it back from the brink and the message to the prime minister is that they are absolutely not going to blink first in these negotiations," she added.


Eleven health unions backed a deal on 2 May, meaning more than a million NHS staff would receive a 5% pay rise.

The deal, which includes nurses in England, also entails a one-off payment of at least £1,655. It means all staff will now receive extra pay.

Some unions rejected the offer, including the RCN and Unite, but it was accepted after a majority was reached. Both unions warned they would continue to pursue strike action.

Asked in the paper why nurses warrant a larger increase than other healthcare workers, she said: "It's not so long ago since the prime minister went on the media and very publicly said nurses are an exception."

"I would totally agree with him... they should be made an exception because they are exceptional people."

A government source said the health secretary's door was open for discussions about how to make the NHS a better place to work and it was getting the money into staff pay packets as soon as possible.

"It is time to move on from industrial actions and work together to deliver for patients," added the health department source.

Nurses in Wales are set to strike this summer after rejecting the Welsh government's latest pay offer.

And in Scotland, union members have accepted an offer worth an average 6.5% for 2023-24.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×