Unions are angry and hinting at future strikes after ministers wrote to pay review bodies, recommending that public sector workers receive a 2.8% pay increase for 2025/26.
The National Education Union called it “a warning to the government”, while the Unite Union called the offer made to NHS employees an “insult”.
The government does not make final recommendations on pay increases, but it compiles evidence in writing of what it is willing to spend and how it will budget for the rises.
The Department for Education wrote to the School Teachers’ Review Body that “high quality teaching is a factor in a school which makes the greatest difference to a student’s education” and that it was committed to support teachers to “thrive” and stay in their profession.
It said that due to a “challenging” economic situation, the company could only pay out 2.8% of its total salary next year.
In July, it was announced that the annual wage increase for workers in the public sector will be 5.5%.
NHS Employers submitted its evidence to pay review bodies and stated: “Industrial actions have caused significant disruptions to services. Waiting lists for services and care are growing, while employers face additional costs.
The relationship between the government and trade unions has been under immense pressure. All parties will need to continue their efforts in order to restore normal working partnerships.
The current Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation at 3.2%, is lower than the 2.8% recommended by the government.
The British Medical Association (BMA) accused the government for having “poor grasp” on the issues which led to repeated strikes over almost two years.
The Royal College of Nursing stated that the offer is “an insult to employees, harmful to patients and counterproductive for rebuilding the NHS”.
RCN General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger stated: “The Government has today informed nursing staff that they are only worth PS2 more a day. This is less than the cost of a cup of coffee.
“Nursing has a crisis. There are too few new nurses and there are too many professionals who have left the profession.” The public knows the importance of nursing, and they are aware that to reform the NHS effectively, it is necessary to address the nursing crisis.
The RCN, along with Unison and Unite, pulled out of the process to review pay because they felt that it “was not the way to address the current crises”, instead calling for direct NHS salary talks.
“Fair wages must be matched with structural reform.” We need to start direct discussions now to avoid further escalation of disputes and ballots. I told the government that today.
Unite says that the 2.8% increase would result in more than 200,000 NHS employees being paid less than the’real living wage’ rate of PS12.60 per hour.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of the NHS, said: “The NHS retention and recruitment crisis will not be resolved without taking restorative payment seriously. After 14 years of pay increases below inflation, the NHS desperately needs more workers.
The latest recommendation to pay below inflation is an insult for dedicated NHS staff, and is further proof that the pay review panel is beyond repair. Unite has been saying for years that NHS pay issues must be resolved by direct negotiation with the government.”
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