The government must ditch the discredited pay review body and hold direct talks with unions covering the next annual wage rise and deep-seated problems with the outdated salary structure, says UNISON today (Friday).
The union says the best way to ensure an efficient wage rise is delivered on time when it’s due in April next year is to cover this in negotiations over much-needed reforms to the Agenda for Change* pay structure. These were promised by ministers in 2024 but have still not formally begun.
UNISON will not participate in the 2026/27 NHS pay review body process, set to run over the next few months. The outdated system continually runs late and fails to deliver fair increases for Agenda for Change staff, says the union.
This year’s 3.6% rise arrived in pay packets four months late and has already been overtaken by the CPI inflation rate, which currently sits at 3.8%, the union says.
A consultation of UNISON members this summer showed deep dissatisfaction with the increase. It found seven in ten (70%) of those who responded said they’d back walkouts if the union were to ballot for strike action over the 2025/26 NHS pay award.
The union says the pay review body (PRB) process has exceeded its shelf-life. Its poor and late awards mean many staff on the lowest salary bands would dip below the legal minimum wage without emergency action each year.
And the PRB is unable to deal with the regular modernisation that any complex pay system needs to remain effective, UNISON says.
Problems in how the pay bands reward staff for taking on extra responsibilities and gaining skills have been left to mount up. The difficulties are making it harder for the NHS to get and keep the staff it needs to deliver good patient care, adds UNISON.
The unions says there is no sensible way to review pay in isolation from the overhaul that’s needed for the entire pay structure.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Ministers are rightly focused on how the NHS needs to change to meet patients’ needs and recover from years of neglect.
“That change must include how NHS staff are treated when it comes to pay.
“A government that says it cares about efficiency and improving industrial relations in the health service shouldn’t be sticking with a pay review system that belongs to a bygone era.
“Nor should ministers promise staff they’ll put money on the table for talks with unions to fix problems, only to drag their heels.
“Staff are key to getting the NHS back on its feet. Putting time and money into getting wages right now will pay dividends in the future. Ministers must show they value all parts of the workforce by opening proper talks with unions now.”
Notes to editors:
– *The Agenda for Change pay structure covers more than a million NHS workers in a wide range of occupations. The remainder of the NHS workforce – doctors and dentists – has different pay arrangements and separate pay review body, which in recent years has recommended higher increases for them.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union and the largest union in the NHS and in the ambulance sector, 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:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Dan Ashley M: 07789 518992 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
The article Dump pay review body for direct NHS salary talks, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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