Unions representing NHS staff in England vote for pay deal

Unions representing NHS staff in England have voted to accept the government’s offer of a 5 per cent pay award for 2023-24, despite opposition from the main nurses’ union.

The vote, passed by a slim majority of representatives on the NHS Staff Council on Tuesday, paves the way for the UK government to implement the pay deal, giving NHS workers one-off payments worth up to £3,789 for 2022-23 and a 5 per cent increase for 2023-24.

However, the government remains a long way from mending relations even with the unions that have accepted the pay deal, let alone ending industrial action.

“This pay deal must be the start of something new in the NHS,” said Sara Gorton, chair of the union group on the NHS Staff Council, which brings staff and employer representatives together with government.