NHS staff belonging to UNISON in Wales have voted to accept a new pay offer.
UNISON is the largest health union in Wales and has been consulting with staff on Agenda for Change contracts (those directly employed by the NHS) over the Welsh Government’s pay offer for 2023/24 and an additional one-off "recovery payment" for the previous financial year.
The ballot closed on Friday, May 12 and more than three quarters (78%) have voted to accept the offer, with just 22% voting to reject. NHS staff across Wales have been taking part in an online consultation since the end of April in relation to additional pay for 2022/23 and 2023/24. Other health unions have been doing the same. You can get more health news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The offer consists of a 5% wage increase (payable from April 1, 2023) and an additional one-off payment for 2022/23 – worth between £900 and £1,190. All NHS unions will discuss their consultation results on Monday, May 22, ahead of a meeting with Welsh Government the following day.
UNISON Cymru/Wales head of bargaining and campaigns, Jess Turner, said: “Health workers have sent a clear message. Of course, NHS staff want and deserve more, but they’ve opted to accept this offer and the certainty it brings them. This acceptance might end UNISON’s NHS dispute, but it doesn't solve the significant workforce issues facing the health service. The most pressing is tackling the growing staffing emergency and health worker burnout.
“The NHS is one team. Every job and every worker makes an essential contribution to patient care. NHS staff have told us they need money in their pockets now to deal with the worsening cost-of-living crisis. If this deal goes through NHS staff will receive their pay rise much sooner than in previous years. This sets an expectation for the way NHS pay is approached in future in Wales.”
The 5% pay award for 2023/24 means the lowest paid workers in NHS Wales will receive an annual salary of £22,720, with the new hourly rate of pay rising from £10.90 to £11.62. Pay at the top of Band 5 will rise from £33,428 to £35,099 in 2023/24.
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