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The government has been accused of “snatching” a previously suggested 2.1% wage increase for NHS workers, as four major unions expressed dismay at the 1% raise offered.
NHS providers, representing NHS trusts in England, said a long-term plan put in place years ago by the government had seen a wage increase of more than 2% for healthcare workers in 2021/22.
The proposed salary increase for this year has been fixed at 1%, which provoked the ire of the unions and the opposition deputies.
As tensions escalate, the Royal College of Nursing has set up a £ 35m industrial action fund, threatening to go on strike, while another union has urged the public to support a slow applause next week by mocking the proposals.
NHS Providers Deputy Executive Director Saffron Cordery said: “It is very disappointing that the government said that a 1% pay increase is all that is affordable when they know that the assumption was that the 2021/22 NHS pay increase would be 2.1% – and that this was covered by the NHS revenue deal announced by Theresa May in June 2018.
“This agreement was later enshrined in a formal act of parliament, the NHS Financing Act 2020.”
He acknowledged that the long-term plan had been drawn up before the pandemic, but said the past 12 months had only “strengthened the case for a larger pay increase for NHS staff.”
“Some will think the government is snatching the planned pay increases out of the pockets of deserving NHS staff so they don’t have to fund the additional costs of COVID-19, which the chancellor personally promised to know, “he added.
The government has argued that more than a million NHS employees are already benefiting from multi-year pay deals agreed with unions that had resulted in a pay increase of more than 12% for newly qualified nurses and will increase pay scales for doctors. junior by 8.2%.
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Minister defends 1% salary increase from NHS
“Pay increases in the rest of the public sector will come to a halt this year due to the challenging economic environment, but we will continue to provide pay increases for NHS workers, in addition to an investment of £ 513 million in career development and increased recruitment,” an the government spokesman said.
Speaking at a news conference Friday night, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that NHS staff had “gotten rid of” a pay freeze affecting other public sector employees, adding that affordability had to be taken into account. account when deciding the payment.
“We have raised what is affordable given the very important challenges in public finances,” he said, referring to the impact of the pandemic.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed his budget this week, but did not mention a pay increase for NHS workers.
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NHS pay rise is ‘disgusting’ – Labor
An open letter has been sent to the Chancellor of the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives and UNISON, asking him to reconsider the 1% payment offer.
In the letter, the unions said: “The proposed 1% pay offer, unannounced from the dispatch box, but quietly smuggled out in the days after, fails the honesty test and does not provide staff who have been on the very front line of the pandemic the fair wage treatment they need.
“Our members are the already exhausted and distressed doctors, nurses, midwives, porters, health aides and more, who are also expected to continue serving the millions of patients on waiting lists, dealing with a huge backlog of treatments and caring those with COVID-19 “.
The government’s plans have also been criticized by Labor, with leader Sir Keir Starmer saying the NHS’s “COVID heroes” deserve more.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “It is now clear beyond any doubt that Rishi Sunak has snatched the pay raise promised by ministers in the NHS long-term financing plan.
“Rishi Sunak is not only cutting the salary of working nurses, but he has broken his promise to give the NHS whatever it takes to overcome COVID.”
