The UK Government announced its pay offers for public sector workers. The rises will see police officers across England and Wales receive an extra £1,900 a year whatever their rank. NHS staff will get at least £1,400 extra in England with an announcement in Wales expected in the coming days.
These are the pay rises announced so far:
- Police officers in England and Wales: An extra £1,900 regardless of rank
- NHS staff in England: At least £1,400 with lowest earners to receive up to 9.3%
- Dentists and doctors in England will get 4.5%
- Teachers in England will get between 5% and 8.9% from September
- Armed forces across the UK will get 3.75%
Whether the UK government's pay offer applies in Wales depends on whether the power is devolved to the Welsh Government so some of today's UK announcements do cover England and Wales but others do not. However the offer plays a major role in shaping what it is possible for ministers in Cardiff Bay to do as it will determine how much money they receive from Westminster.
The UK Government said it had accepted recommendations from the independent NHS pay review bodies in full, adding that the pay rise recognises the contribution of NHS staff while balancing the need to protect taxpayers, manage public spending and not drive up inflation.
Health unions said the announcement amounts to a real terms pay cut. The current UK inflation rate is 9.1%, with the Bank of England predicting inflation could reach more than 11% later this year. It raises the prospect of a wave of strikes later this year, with several unions already threatening industrial action if salaries fall behind.
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On July 18, Wales' finance minister Rebecca Evans wrote to the Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, along with the finance ministers from Scotland and Northern Ireland urging him to be generous with public sector workers.
The section of the letter about public sector pay read: "We are all aware of the range of different sectoral discussions underway on public sector pay. We appreciate that this is a challenging area and maintaining a fiscally sustainable and prudent approach to public finances is in all of our interests. It is also essential to treat the public sector workforce fairly. As former Education Secretary, you recognised the risks of potentially significant real price pay cuts and placed importance on valuing our public sector workers who have played a vital role in delivery of our collective priorities and in responding to the pandemic. These will be important considerations as the UK government develops its approach. We need a fair and appropriate response on public sector pay and urge you to give firmer assurances on sensible pay uplifts for our public sector workers."
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: "We welcome an increase in pay for hardworking and overstretched NHS staff beyond the 3% uplift originally budgeted for. However, NHS and public health leaders cannot be put into the impossible position of having to choose which services they will cut back on in order to fund the additional rise.
"NHS employers have only been allocated enough money to award staff a 3% rise, so unless the extra increase is funded by the Treasury, very worryingly this will have to be drawn from existing budgets and will mean an estimated unplanned £1.8 billion shortfall."
The British Dental Association said the 4.5% pay rise for dentists is "derisory", warning it will accelerate the workforce crisis facing NHS dentistry across the UK.
The GMB union described the announcement as "derisory" and says it will now consult members on the pay offer.
Laurence Turner, GMB Head of Research and Policy, said: "An offer below inflation is a cut by another name. Recruitment and retention problems are now severe across the public sector and Ministers are failing to invest in the services that the economic recovery needs.
"Real NHS wages have fallen by 15% since 2010 and workers are risking their lives to protect patients. Key workers have been driven to loans and food banks to make ends meet - they deserve so much better than this. GMB will now ballot our members on the offer, but there should be no doubt - everyone has their breaking point, and without a fundamental change we will not be able to deliver the public services that the country needs."
What the UK Government has announced:
NHS Workers
All NHS staff under the remit of this year’s pay review will receive a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year backdated to April 2022. This is on top of the 3% pay rise they received last year. The average basic pay for nurses will increase from around £35,600 as of March 2022 to around £37,000 and the basic pay for newly qualified nurses will increase by 5.5%, from £25,655 last year to £27,055.
Porters and cleaners will see a 9.3% increase in their basic pay this year, compared to last year.
The Department of Health say last year, NHS staff received a 3% pay rise while the government temporarily paused pay rises for wider public sector workers with salaries over £24,000. This means that over the last five years, the non-medical workforce (including nurses and paramedics) has on average received a cumulative pay rise of over 18% and consultants have received a cumulative pay rise of around 15%.
The average nurse’s salary has increased from £32,385 in 2018/19 to £37,000 in 2022/23, following this latest pay rise.
Some staff will also continue to benefit from performance pay, overtime, pay progression and pay rises from promotion, alongside the pay uplift.
Dentists and doctors
Dentists and doctors within the Doctors and Dentists’ Remuneration Body (DDRB) remit this year will receive a 4.5% pay rise.
Police officers
All police officers will get £1,900 salary uplift whatever their rank, equivalent to 5% overall pay award, the Home Office say. The pay award is equivalent to 5% overall, and will be targeted at those on the lowest pay points to provide them with an uplift of up to 8.8%, and between 0.6% and 1.8% for those on the highest pay points. The Police Constable Degree Apprentice minimum starting salary will also be raised to £23,556 from September 1.
The Police Federation said it was a "small first step" to repairing relationships between the UK Government and police officers. National Chair Steve Hartshorn said: "Officers have already faced two years of a blanket pay freeze, a 20% real terms pay cut since 2010, and now huge additional cost-of-living pressures. The average 5% settlement announced today is still below inflation, and PFEW believe that the Government ‘still has a long way to go’ to demonstrate they’re treating officers with the dignity and respect they deserve, this is only a small first step forward in regaining their trust. It is disappointing that the pay increase is not good news for all officers, negatively affecting those in higher ranks."
Teachers
In England, the starting salary for teachers outside London will rise by 8.9%, with salaries reaching £28,000 in the 2022/23 academic year. Those in the early stages of their careers will get between 5% to 8% depending on experience and pay for experienced teachers who have been in the profession for more than five years will rise by 5% in the next academic year.
Armed forces
Members of the armed forces across the UK will get 3.75%.
What about Wales:
There is no concrete figures yet about whether the situation will be replicated in Wales in the areas which are devolved but it is a complex picture covering different areas, some devolved and some which aren't.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "The UK Government's financial settlement for Wales falls far short of what is required. We continue to press them to pass on the full funding necessary for fair pay rises for public sector workers. Without this, we face considerable challenges and difficult decisions. However, we remain committed to the pay review bodies processes and to working in social partnership with unions and employers to deliver the best possible outcome within the current funding we have available to us."
Unison Cymru/Wales say it doesn't expect to hear what the impact on today's UK Government announcement for health workers in Wales will be until Wednesday, July 20. The union has said it wants to see staff here "receive an above inflation pay rise".
Hugh McDyer, head of health for Unison Cymru/Wales, said: “Only significant and continued investment in the NHS and social care workforce and services will help recruit and retain staff going forward. Our members are telling us when winter comes it will be a choice between heat or eat and they are using food banks now to sustain their families as food is now so expensive and their wages have never been able to catch up."
NASUWT, the teachers union, has threatened industrial action if teachers are not given a 12% rise.
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