Strike threat from NHS Unison members

Seven in 10 NHS nurses and colleagues in England are prepared to take strike action over the latest government pay award, according to a consultation carried out by Unison.

The union warned its members are ‘far from happy’ with the 3.6% NHS Agenda for Change uplift and said the results of its latest consultation should be a ‘wake-up call’ for ministers.

Some 70% of NHS staff who responded said they would back walkouts if Unison was to ballot for strike action over pay. Unison has not shared how many members voted.

Ministers have been urged to hold ‘urgent talks’ to address pay concerns for NHS staff, including salary structures.

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It was announced by the government in May that NHS AfC nurses and colleagues in England and Wales will be given a 3.6% pay award for 2025/26, backdated to April.

Last week the deal was rejected by NHS members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England and Wales.

In Northern Ireland, the RCN has lodged a dispute with the Executive as nurses there wait in limbo for news on their pay award for 2025/26.

Unison head of health Helga Pile said: ‘This result must act as a wake-up call for ministers.

‘Health workers never want to strike but the outcome of the consultation shows the seriousness of the situation.’

Ms Pile warned that NHS staff were angered by the government’s pay review body process because it ‘repeatedly awards some health workers lower rises than other groups’.

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‘This groundswell of discontent will only grow if it’s not tackled head on, putting paid to any hope of the NHS recovery everyone wants to see,’ she said.

‘Staff are key to getting the NHS back on its feet. Ministers must show they value the workforce by starting grown-up talks with unions now.

‘These are essential if the pay and working conditions that are holding the NHS back are to be addressed.’

For nurses working in general practice, NHS England confirmed that funding to support a 4% pay rise for employed practice nurses and other staff has been uplifted and that it ‘expects’ employers to pass on the rise for 2025/26.

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘This is disappointing news given the government accepted the independent pay review body’s recommendations in full to deliver the second above inflation pay increase in a row this year for staff on the Agenda for Change contract.

‘We can’t move any further on headline pay, but this government wants to work constructively with unions to address their major concerns – that includes pay structure reform, concerns about career progression, and wider working conditions.’