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NHS Unison members accept pay deal offer in England May bank holiday strike by RCN nurses as pay offer rejected
(32 minutes later)
Ambulance crews, some nurses and other NHS health staff who are Unison members have voted in favour of accepting the government's pay offer in England. Nurses at the Royal College of Nursing union have rejected the government's pay offer in England and will now go on strike over the first May bank holiday.
That includes a permanent 5% pay rise for 2023-24 worth at least £1,065, plus an extra one-off lump sum to top up the past year's salary. The 48-hour walkout from 8pm on 30 April to 8pm on 2 May will involve NHS nurses in emergency departments, intensive care, cancer and other wards.
It follows several rounds of strikes and negotiations this winter. This will be "hugely concerning" for patients, the government says.
The Royal College Nursing is due to announce how its members in England voted on the deal later today. Members of the Unison union - which includes some nurses and ambulance crews - have accepted the pay offer.
Meanwhile, NHS junior doctors in England are staging a four-day walkout over pay, ending at 07:00 BST on Saturday. The award on the table is a 5% pay rise for 2023/24.
In the Unison consultation of 288,000 NHS workers across England, almost three-quarters (74%) voted to accept the Agenda for Change pay contract offer, and 26% to reject. And there is an extra one-off lump sum of at least £1,655 to top up the past year's salary.
Turnout was 53%, with 152,329 votes cast. Of these 112,458 voted yes, and 39,871 no. Meanwhile, NHS junior doctors in England are currently staging a four-day walkout over pay, ending at 0700 Saturday.
Sara Gorton from Unison said: "Clearly health workers would have wanted more, but this was the best that could be achieved through negotiation. For the first time, the RCN says this new strike will mean some critical care services, such as intensive care, not being staffed on strike days - something which didn't happen in previous strikes.
"Over the past few weeks, health workers have weighed up what's on offer. They've opted for the certainty of getting the extra cash in their pockets soon. The government said that amounted to an escalation in strike action, "based on a vote from the minority of the nursing workforce".
"Other unions are still consulting, so the full picture won't emerge until the end of the month. Unison will be urging the government to ensure NHS workers get the wage rises they've voted for at the earliest opportunity." The result of the RCN vote on pay was very close - 54% voted to reject the pay offer while 46% voted to accept it.
A government spokesperson said: "The decision by members of Unison, the largest NHS union, to accept the pay offer recommended by their leadership demonstrates that it is a fair and reasonable proposal that can bring this dispute to an end. The Unison vote, however, was overwhelmingly in favour of the deal.
"Hundreds of thousands of Agenda for Change staff continue to vote in ballots for other unions over the next two weeks and we hope this generous offer secures their support." 'Expect a historic pay award'
Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said: "What has been offered to date is simply not enough."
In the letter to Health Secretary Steve Barclay, she said the government "needs to increase what has already been offered and we will be highly critical of any move to reduce it".
Until there was a significantly improved offer, RCN nurses were forced back to the picket line, she said.
"After a historic vote to strike, our members expect a historic pay award," Ms Cullen said.
Sara Gorton from Unison, whose members voted for the pay offer, said: "Clearly health workers would have wanted more, but this was the best that could be achieved through negotiation.
"Over the past few weeks, health workers have weighed up what's on offer. They've opted for the certainty of getting the extra cash in their pockets soon."
A government spokesperson said the Unison decision "demonstrates that it is a fair and reasonable proposal that can bring this dispute to an end".
But it said it was "hugely disappointing" that the RCN had rejected the pay deal recommended by their leadership.
"Hundreds of thousands of Agenda for Change staff continue to vote in ballots for other unions over the next two weeks and we hope this generous offer secures their support," the spokesperson added.
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