AT LAST! A BIG PAY HIKE FOR 1M NHS STAFF
Unions say yes to three-year deal
MORE than a million NHS workers are set to get pay rises of between 6.5% and 29% over the next three years.
Those on the lowest pay scales will immediately receive an extra £2,000 a year. The deal, affecting 1.3million staff, from nurses to porters, comes after years of demands for a substantial earnings hike amid tough conditions. Starting salaries of nurses will increase to £24,907 while midwives and physiotherapists are among those in line for the biggest boosts to their wallets. Those at the top of their pay bands will receive a 6.5% cash injection while others will get between 9% and 29%. The deal has been formally agreed by leaders of the NHS unions but it must now be voted on by staff. If they give the nod, the extra pay will be in July wage packets, backdated to April.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been heavily criticised by NHS staff during his six years in the job.
But yesterday he said: “NHS staff have never worked harder and this deal is recognition of that. It will have a significant impact on retention and recruitment issues.”
The Unison union’s Sara Gorton said of the deal: “It won’t solve every problem in the NHS, but it would go a long way towards making dedicated health staff feel more valued.”
The GMB is the only union to recommend rejection of the deal, saying it falls below the expected increase in inflation over the next three years.
The Star Says: Page 6