Commenting on the government’s submission to the NHS Pay Review Body that it can afford only a 2.5% pay rise for healthcare staff in 2026/27, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said:
“Yet again ministers are trying to get away with giving staff a way-below-inflation pay rise.
“This is an insult. It will go down badly right across the NHS, just as workers are bracing themselves for the challenges of winter.
“To make matters worse, the talks and additional funding to fix deep-rooted problems within NHS salary structures, promised by the government in 2024, have yet to materialise.
“It’s likely this amount won’t even be enough to ensure the NHS can comply with minimum wage laws when the rate goes up in April.
“This is surely the final nail in the coffin for the pay review body process. Ministers must now get unions in for talks and put a decent level of funding on the table.
“The government must show it’s serious about getting the NHS back on its feet and improving patient care.”
Notes to editors:
– The government published its submission to the pay review body here.
– 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:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
The article NHS pay figure is an insult to staff first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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