NHS strikes: government U-turns with new pay offer

Just over three weeks ago the Department of Health was saying that any pay award above three and a half per cent was unaffordable.

Now they've offered staff in England five per cent next year, and a one-off payment of more than £1,600 to top up last year's pay award.

But with no detail on where the extra money will come from, one think tank predicted the NHS could need a further Treasury bailout - even before the ink on the chancellor's spending plans was dry.
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[Josedinho_-]

What happened to the £300m promised for the NHS from Brexit???

They got clap every thursday

[Starribruins]

My dad is a worker in A&E and some of the stories of the things he’s seen and done are scarier than the ones when he was in the army. If anything I am sure a tonne of workers, especially with the pandemic, have some form of PTSD and should be treated as such. Working in hospitals is often an upsetting or dangerous job. When you consider the very fact that nurses talk about assault as if it’s part of the job it becomes terrifying. These people literally save lives and struggle to pay rent or bills while these stupid MPs just further line their pockets.

[dianamincher]

Agreed- halve the MP salary of 86, 000pa. and redistribute the money amongst the nurses, doctors and dentists so they get reasonable competitive salary.

[chadimirputin]

Hopefully they decline the measly offer and keep striking and more civil servants join them.

[ruinfox]

Dont take the 5%, classic barter tactic, there is always a better offer waiting after the first offer.

[cubbmancubster]

It’s nuts to think the junior doctors haven’t been considered in England, i don’t think people realise junior doctors make some of the most difficult decisions on their own with limited experience when the Consultant is preoccupied with other patients (it happens a lot esp when short staffed ) - life and death decisions which they take home.

Very happy to hear other NHS staff members will be compensated, now time to do the same for Junior Doctors.

[paxundpeace]

That's not enough.
Do not accept this over.
5% is not enough when we have 10% inflation or even higher inflation.

[Saffron-sugar]

UK government needs to appreciate people and listen.
Neither the UK nor it’s government seem to know how fortunate they are to have the NHS and how unusual it was for a country to have had trust in its government. Not something that should be thrown away.

[BigBoiiLeem]

This seems like a very lukewarm deal at best. Sure, its good the government is finally pulling their head out of their arses, but is this really going to help NHS staff or the NHS as a whole? Doubtful, if you ask me.

[hydra]

Given that this government couldn't negotiate its way out of a paper bag (see Brexit, Truss' trade deals etc), who the heck did these unions send? The RCN now accepting a massive pay cut? How does that retain people? Let the junior doctors show you how it's done

[keithfootitt]

This offer is an example of how the government thinks everyone is stupid

[justadude]

Members of the public are absolutely deluded if they think they can continue to leech off the hardwork of NHS staff whilst paying them such poor wage. Enjoy your American system and £10k for a hospital visit, you deserve it.

[jordankelly]

No way my colleagues and I continue to feel that this is a slap in the face and yet another real terms pay cut.

[thisismetoday]

Can these news channels just stop asking the question whether it was worth it / whether they feel bad for the interruptions / etc. Sick of this line of questioning. We're all behind these workers. Stop making it sound like the public is not.

[Mike__hock]

5%? while inflation is around 10%.

In regards to the cost of living its 5% under an increase.

They need 15% to get a proper 5% increase.

Better than nothing but technically wages going backwards anyway.

[Dangonyon]

5% is a joke, it doesn't even cover the losses in wages over recent years.

[HusamYassin]

Why on earth are they accepting such a low offer

[sonyset]

It is a good offer of a bad deal!
Given 19% payrise was the ask.

Probably the best lousy offer....😢

The one off payment is taxed!

[ceska]

Um, where are all those billions, Boris?

[nurseing]

I am a nurse and to be honest that is a terrible compromise and still doesn’t help pay bills. So for me Working for nhs is not enticing at all and I am pretty sure a lot of nurses will still leave the job. The work we do is too hard for this kind of terrible pay. The other week I knocked my big toe at work from all the rushing around caring for 8 patient with no healthcare assistant to help. Currently I have have a big toe nail that looks like it’s ready to fall off. The week before that my hand started swelling after rolling a patient that’s was twice my size. I don’t particularly want to end up a patient myself for such horrific pay. In my career as a nurse I have been spat at, a hot coffee dashed at me, scratched punched and kicked in the stomach and two needle stick injury’s thank god it was not contaminated. In my opinion they can shove their stingy pay rinse it’s not worth it. I believe alot of nurses feel the same as I do. That pay rise will not retain nurse.