The government has announced a 3.6% pay increase for NHS staff in England.
What do we know?
There have been no negotiations with unions and this is not an offer for members to accept or reject. This is an imposed pay award.
UNISON is working urgently to get clarity on when the pay rise and associated backpay will be in your pay packet. We think this is likely to be August, backdated to April 2025.
However, it looks like the government has stuck to its position that staff who received an interim pay rise in April 2025 – those on Band 2 and on the entry point of Band 3 – will not receive the full 3.6%. Instead, they will receive a smaller payment to bring the combined total of both pay awards to 3.6% That wasn’t by agreement – it was something the government had to do to avoid breaking minimum wage law.
The NHS pay structure still needs fixing
It is UNISON’s long-standing priority to fix problems in the pay system as a whole, so that when you progress or get promoted you notice a real difference in your pay packet.
As NHS staff you deserve sensible negotiations to set your pay, not broken promises. This government promised it would sit down with unions to make those pay scale fixes ready for 2025/26, but it’s failed to do that. UNISON will update members when we have more detail on the government’s plan.
What happens next?
As this is an imposed award, with no discussions, there is no offer for unions to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’. The key decision we have to make is how we react.
UNISON’s elected committee of NHS staff will meet very soon to go over this announcement in detail and decide what we do next. Members will be kept informed by email, so please ensure your details are up to date by clicking here.
There was a UNISON press release on May 27th, which you can find here.
