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Unions escalate action with joint letter to challenge 3.3% pay award in England
Fourteen unions have told the Westminster government that NHS staff feel “angry and let down”, and are urging their members to sign the letter
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The RCN, along with other NHS unions, has told the Westminster government that the 3.3% pay award is not enough.
The letter, signed by 14 unions, tells Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting, and Minister for Health Karin Smyth, that staff feel “angry and let down” after years of eroded wages, chronic understaffing and rising living costs. Workers report the strain of overwork is leaving them unable to deliver the standard of care patients deserve.
While nursing staff on NHS terms and conditions in England and Wales will receive an imposed 3.3% award in April – we’re asking RCN members to take action today and sign the open letter.
RCN Executive Director of Legal and Member Relations Jo Galbraith-Marten said: “3.3% isn’t enough and there is no excuse for government once again outsourcing responsibility for NHS pay to a failed Pay Review Body (PRB) process.
"Ministers should have negotiated with unions directly, as we requested multiple times. You simply can’t agree fair staff pay without talking to staff.”
In the letter, unions argue that the government’s continued reliance on the PRB process has once again resulted in a real-terms pay cut. The RCN, alongside most other NHS unions, refused to submit evidence to the PRB this year, and were led to believe we would be engaging in direct negotiations.
The unions warn that the award fails to keep pace with inflation, does nothing to restore lost earnings and leaves those on the Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts at a longstanding disadvantage.
Jo added: “It’s clear that nursing staff are being failed on pay. All the evidence shows that the current system undervalues our highly skilled, female-dominated profession and its safety critical role.
"With its announcement on band 5 progression last month, the government in Westminster has started to turn a page on nursing staff stuck at the lowest pay band for their entire careers. That must be only the beginning. Serious and urgent discussions must begin so we can modernise NHS pay.”
The letter also highlights frustration due to repeated delays to talks on reforming the AfC pay structure. Although ministers now say negotiations will take place – with any improvements backdated to April if a deal is reached – unions note that these talks were first promised more than 18 months ago, damaging confidence and trust.
They insist that progress must be swift, and that ministers must clearly set out how these negotiations can improve what staff have seen so far and make real changes to pay structure.
Unions stress that staff want the NHS to succeed. They call on the government to recognise the scale of the workforce crisis and provide the funding needed for unions and employers to agree a fair, sustainable pay solution.
Make your voice heard today and demand delayed negotiations start quickly to make progress to reform NHS terms and conditions. Sign the letter today.
