NHS pay rise talks are vital, say unions, as they criticise “discredited NHS Pay Review Body process”.

The Government must improve on its inadequate 3.3% pay rise for NHS staff by putting significant extra funding into long-delayed pay restructure talks or the workforce crisis will continue to grow, Health unions say.

In a joint letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, they warn the pay award fails to keep pace with the cost of living, won’t repair years of lost pay, and doesn’t address the lower pay rises for those on Agenda for Change contracts than other groups in recent years.

Staff are angry and feel deeply let down after years of falling wages and relentless pressure, say the 14 unions representing more than a million health workers.

They point out that by relying on the discredited NHS Pay Review Body process rather than negotiating directly with unions, ministers have wasted an opportunity to tackle headline pay awards and much-needed reform of the pay structure at the same time through comprehensive talks.

Despite the anger over pay, staff say they remain committed to the future of the health service. The latter states:

“No one wants the NHS to succeed more than the staff who keep it running. But that requires a workforce that is properly valued and properly paid.”

The POA are asking their members to sign an online version of the letter to demonstrate the strength of feeling in order to achieve a fair settlement next year and for years to come.

RCN Executive Director of Legal and Member Relations Jo Galbraith-Marten said: “3.3% isn’t enough and there is no excuse for government once again outsourcing responsibility for NHS pay to a failed Pay Review Body (PRB) process.

Ministers should have negotiated with unions directly, as we requested multiple times. You simply can’t agree fair staff pay without talking to staff.

Unison’s head of health Helga Pile, who is also the NHS unions chair, said:

For most NHS staff, this will feel like a pay cut not a wage rise.

After years of rising pressure and falling wages, health workers expected better from this government. If ministers really want the NHS to recover, they have to start by valuing the staff who keep it going.

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy assistant director Jim Fahie, who is also the NHS unions secretary, said:

The letter is a way for NHS staff to make their voices heard and show ministers that they need to do more on pay.

Text of the letter:

“Dear Secretary of State, Minister of State,

3.3% is not enough.

NHS staff feel angry and let down. Day in, day out it’s a struggle to deal with understaffing, overwork and the constant feeling that – hard as staff try – patients are not getting the standard of care they should.

Years of eroded wages have left staff demoralised, struggling with rising bills and increasingly driven to seek better-paid work elsewhere.

The Pay Review Body process has not delivered.

We hoped things could start to change, and that your government would negotiate with unions and employers to agree a plan for improving pay.

Instead, once again you’ve gone with a Pay Review Body recommendation for a real-terms pay cut. And using this process gives staff and their unions no say in the matter.

We say 3.3% is not enough.

Not enough to keep pace with the cost of living.

Not enough to restore what has been lost through pay erosion.

And not enough to address the longstanding unfairness of staff on the Agenda for Change (AfC) contract getting less than other groups.

Talks must improve on 3.3% and rebuild trust.

You are imposing a 3.3% award in April. In addition, you say there will be negotiations to improve the AfC pay structure, with any increases backdated to April if a deal is reached. But these talks on the pay structure were first promised more than 18 months ago, and that delay means confidence has been seriously damaged.

For trust to be rebuilt, progress must happen quickly, and you must provide clarity on how these negotiations can improve on what staff have seen so far.

We all want the NHS to succeed.

No one wants the NHS to recover more than the staff who deliver it. But that requires a workforce properly supported to give its best.

Your 10-year plan aspires to make the NHS ‘the country’s best employer’. NHS staff now call on you to take the first step: recognise the problems with NHS pay and provide sufficient funding so unions and employers can agree how to fix them.”

The letter can be signed here.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told the Morning Star:

“This government hugely appreciates the incredible work of talented staff across our NHS, which is why we are working with the NHS Staff Council to reform the Agenda for Change pay structure and to prioritise increasing pay for graduates and the lowest paid members of staff.

“Alongside these imminent talks, we have accepted the pay recommendation from the independent NHS Pay Review Body to deliver an above forecast inflation pay increase for the third consecutive year to 1.4 million NHS staff, including nurses, paramedics, midwives and hospital porters.

“This pay boost will be in pay packets from April for the first time in six years, demonstrating our commitment to getting money into the pockets of NHS staff in a timely fashion.”