Most UK health unions agreed to government's pay raise proposal

By Al-Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 May 23:46

The proposal entails a 5% pay raise in the year 2023-2024, a lump sum payment of 2% of the wages from 2022-2023, in addition to a 4% payment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, per The Guardian.

UK nurses during a strike against the government over pay, in London, UK on January 18, 2023 (Reuters)

After the UK government proposed a pay raise plan amid nationwide protests, most of the UK's health unions voted to accept the proposal - including the largest union, Unison - according to British media on Tuesday.

The proposal entails a 5% pay raise in the year 2023-2024, a lump sum payment of 2% of the wages from 2022-2023, in addition to a 4% payment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, per The Guardian.

The newspaper added that the vote occurred during a council of 12 unions that unites more than 1 million UK health workers, with the majority of unions voting in favor.

Unite, the second-largest union, rejected the proposal alongside the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which reportedly called the proposal insufficient and announced its plan to remain on strike. However, the new payment terms are required to be applied to members of all unions.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay confirmed his intentions to implement the pay proposal with its terms and urged the disagreeing unions to stop striking.

This comes a day after more nurses organized a strike by the RCN trade union, in what they call their greatest work stoppage to date, as the country's cost-of-living problem worsens and after the government stated last Monday that it was seeking a court order to put an end to a planned strike by nurses working for the government-run National Health Service (NHS).

The strike, which began Sunday evening, is expected to affect half of the British government's NHS trusts, with nurses from A&E (Accident and Emergency), critical care, and cancer services joining the picket lines for the first time.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced in March that its support package to combat the cost-of-living crisis this year and the next is worth $114 billion.

The cost-of-living crisis has made it unbearable for some workers, both from the public and private sectors, to attend to some of their basic daily needs, such as affording one of three essential meals every day.