NHS staff in England are far from happy with this year’s pay rise and many are prepared to take strike action to challenge it, says UNISON today (Wednesday).
Around seven in ten of the UNISON members who responded to the union’s consultation on the 2025/26 NHS pay award said they’d back walkouts if the union were to ballot for strike action.
The result should be a wake-up call for ministers who must commit now to dealing with growing anger amongst health workers directly, says the union.
The government must hold urgent talks to address problems with the outdated NHS salary structure and combine these with negotiations on next year’s wage rise. This is the only way to convince health workers that ministers get the seriousness of the situation, says UNISON.
The pay award of 3.6% for NHS workers on ‘Agenda for Change’ contracts barely matches inflation. That’s done nothing to lift staff morale, adds UNISON.
The union is warning too that the government risks undermining efforts to repair the NHS if it doesn’t tackle issues around pay head on.
Ministers’ current approach of hiding behind the NHS pay review body isn’t working either, says UNISON.
The union says NHS workers are struggling to understand why the pay review body process has decided that they are worth less than other vital public servants like teachers, police officers and doctors. Especially when there are serious staffing problems right across the health service.
UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “This result must act as a wake-up call for ministers.
“Health workers never want to strike but this result demonstrates the seriousness of the situation.
“Staff know government plans to transform the NHS won’t come to anything without them. But the realisation that the government intends to continue using the discredited pay review body system, which repeatedly awards some health workers lower rises than other groups, has made them very cross.
“Ministers spinning the 3.6% increase as above inflation is only making matters worse.
“This groundswell of discontent will only grow if it’s not tackled head on, putting paid to any hope of the NHS recovery everyone wants to see.
“Staff are key to getting the NHS back on its feet. Ministers must show they value the workforce by starting grown-up talks with unions now. These are essential if the pay and working conditions that are holding the NHS back are to be addressed.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
The article Health workers prepared to take strike action over pay, warns UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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