Union majority set to back pay deal

Ten out of 12 unions have now declared the result of their votes on whether to accept or reject the deal proposed last month between government and union leaders.

These votes feed into the staff council, an umbrella body formed of the different trade unions as well as NHS representatives.

Unions have declined to provide details of the system, but HSJ has spoken to multiple sources and understands a clear “yes” majority has now been reached between the unions on the council, regardless of how the final two unions vote.

It means ministers will likely move to implement the deal, which offers a 5 per cent uplift for 2023-24 to around one million staff covering a huge range of roles, including nurses, cleaners, radiographers, and physios.

However, this may not fully resolve the dispute, as some unions that voted against the deal, including one of the largest, the Royal College of Nursing, have said they will ballot members on whether they want to continue strike action. The Unite union has also indicated it will take these steps.

The staff council will formally meet on Tuesday to record the vote.

It is understood the votes from 12 unions will be weighted according to the size of their membership, with Unison and the Royal College of Nursing the largest voting blocks.

According to the information seen by HSJ, the unions voting to accept the deal already have 57 per cent of the weighted votes (see chart below), which means the council will ask the government to implement the deal.

The main components of the pay deal which was proposed were: a 5 per cent pay increase for 2023-24; a one-off award of 2 per cent of 2022-23 salary; and a one-off bonus which varies by pay band.

The deal does not cover doctors, who are on separate pay frameworks.

Breakdown of union votes, for and against, in the NHS Staff Council