Pay consultation must act as a wake up call for ministers

Health workers prepared to take strike action over pay, warns UNISON

NHS staff in England are far from happy with this year’s pay rise and many are prepared to take strike action to challenge it, says UNISON today (Wednesday).

Seven in ten (70%) of UNISON members who responded to the union’s consultation on the 2025/26 NHS pay award said they’d back walkouts if the union were to ballot for strike action.

The result should be a wake-up call for ministers who must commit now to dealing directly with growing anger among health workers, says the union.

The government must hold urgent talks to address problems with the outdated NHS salary structure and combine these with negotiations on next year’s wage rise. This is the only way to convince health workers that ministers get the seriousness of the situation, says UNISON.

The pay award of 3.6% for NHS workers on ‘Agenda for Change’ contracts barely matches inflation. That’s done nothing to lift staff morale, adds UNISON.

The union is warning too that the government risks undermining efforts to repair the NHS if it doesn’t tackle issues around pay head on.

Ministers’ current approach of hiding behind the NHS pay review body isn’t working either, says UNISON.

The union says NHS workers are struggling to understand why the pay review body process has decided that they are worth less than other vital public servants like teachers, police officers and doctors. This is especially when there are serious staffing problems right across the health service.

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.

“Staff know plans to transform the NHS won’t come to anything without them. But the realisation that the government intends to continue using the discredited pay review body system has made them very cross. This is because the pay review body process repeatedly awards some health workers lower rises than other groups.

“Ministers spinning the 3.6% increase as above inflation is only making matters worse.

“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.

“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.”