At last, NHS workers to get decent pay rise (with some up to 29%)

MORE than a million NHS workers were offered pay rises yesterday that could see some salaries rise by almost a third, as the Government drew a line under the austerity era.

Staff across the health service have been offered an average 6.5 per cent rise over three years, while the lowest paid could get up to 29 per cent.

And there were immediate signs that other public sector workers will be demanding equally generous terms.

Teaching unions were the first to say they were stepping up campaigns for a five per cent pay hike.

Union leaders said the NHS move increases pressure on the Treasury and Department for Education to find the funds to boost teachers’ wages from September.

Doctors, who are not included in the deal as they negotiate their pay separately, also demanded a pay rise of 5.6 per cent ahead of a formal pay review.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt outlined the £4.2billion NHS pay deal to Parliament, and said it “recognised the public appreciation for just how much they have done and continue to do”.

He added: “The agreement that NHS trade unions have reached is a something for something deal that brings in profound changes like productivity in exchange for significant rises in pay.

“Rarely has a pay rise been so deserved for NHS staff who have never worked harder.”

The Royal College of Nursing and NHS trade unions welcomed the deal, which came after months of intense negotiation, and said they would recommend that it is accepted by their members.

The move marks the end of seven years of tough pay restraint as the Government fought to balance the books in the wake of the credit crunch.

The wages of the lowest-paid staff, such as porters and cleaners, will increase by 15 per cent, while nurses are being offered their biggest wage increase in a decade.

Midwives and physiotherapists are among those in line for the biggest increase.

Half of NHS workers are at the top of their pay band so will receive a 6.5 per cent increase, while the other half will get between nine and 29 per cent.

The deal means every NHS worker in England would be paid at least £8.93 an hour, taking the lowest full-time rate of pay in the NHS to £17,460.

Sara Gorton, head of health at the Unison union, said pay restraint had led to a staffing crisis across the country as well as financial hardship.

She said: “The agreement means an end at last to the Government’s unfair one per cent pay cap.

“It won’t solve every problem in the NHS, but it would go a long way towards making dedicated health staff feel more valued, lifting flagging morale, and helping turn the tide on staffing problems.

“If health workers accept the offer everyone’s wages will go further, and the lowest paid would get a significant income boost.”

Setting the scene for more public sector pay demands, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The Government must now make sure the rest of our hardworking public servants get the pay rise they have earned, and the Government must fund it properly.”

EXCELLENT news on the NHS: more than one million staff are to get a decent pay rise. The Prime Minister said she would look after the just-about-managing and she is being true to her word. The only pity of it is that it should have come to this in the first place: there are 100,000 vacancies across the service and concerns that Brexit will make matters even worse.

However, at least this is a step in the right direction: the hard-pressed workers on the frontline who keep the NHS afloat are getting the rewards they deserve. More needs to be done, including fundamental restructuring. But it is at least a first step.