Talks to be held on pay for nurses and other NHS employees - as health unions welcome announcement
Health unions have welcomed an announcement that talks are to be held on pay for nurses and other NHS employees.
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Employers said it was a “significant moment” for the NHS.
Royal College of Nursing executive director of legal and member relations, Jo Galbraith-Marten, said: “Today’s announcement that talks will begin on reforming the NHS pay structure are an important step and testament to the dedicated campaigning of nursing staff.
“Nursing has been failed for too long on pay, forced to contend with a decades’ old system which often traps staff at the lowest pay band for their entire career.
“It’s a situation which has not only hit the profession in the pocket but caused morale to collapse.
“These talks must deliver genuine change for nursing as a female-dominated, safety-critical profession, ensuring it is recognised and rewarded for the highly-skilled work it does today.”
Unison’s head of health Helga Pile said unions have been calling for talks to “fix” pay for months, adding; “Getting these in place is a step forward, albeit a year and a half after they were promised.
“NHS workers have been deeply disappointed by this year’s 3.3% pay award, which has already been overtaken by inflation.
“But there’s now the prospect it could be improved through addressing longstanding problems with the pay structure.
“There’s a lot riding on these talks. Real money on the table from Government will be key.
“Ministers must show they value the staff who’ll be critical to getting the NHS back on track.”
Dean Royles, interim chief executive at NHS Employers, said: “This is a significant moment for the NHS.
“A mandate has been provided to the NHS Staff Council for negotiations by the governments of England, Wales and Northern Ireland following the recommendation from the NHS Pay Review Body.
“It has been 25 years since Agenda for Change (AfC), the pay structure covering over a million NHS staff, was introduced to simplify NHS pay scales and ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.
“During that time there have been significant changes to the pay landscape, including the introduction of the National Minimum Wage and important developments in both services and career pathways across the NHS.”