Nurses could get a pay rise of 6.5% over three years, but only if they give up one day of holiday in return.
The proposal will see nurses on Agenda for Change receive a pay rise of 3% in 2018/19, followed by rises of 1-2% in 2019/20 and 2020/21.
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In a report in The Guardian, it is claimed that the total package is worth £3.3bn and will be formally put forward to staff later in March.
It also states that nurses’ giving up a day’s holiday in return for the pay rise is a ‘red line that for the Government is non-negotiable’.
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But despite that hard-line stance, a separate report by the BBC has indicated that a resolution to the talks, and an agreement on a three-year pay deal, is ‘close’.
If accurate, it would put the pay increase for nursing staff in England on par with that being offered to nurses in Scotland. In December, the finance secretary for Scotland Derek Mackay announced that nurses in the country will get a 2-3% pay increase in April, dependent on their current level of salary.
There is no information on whether the pay increment system in place under Agenda for Change will be reformed, as was indicated by health secretary Jeremy Hunt back in November.
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Talks between the Government, the unions and NHS officials began late last year after chancellor Philip Hammond announced he would offer additional funding for nurse pay providing the pay structure was ‘modernised’.
