Unions condemn 2.4% NHS pay rise as real-terms cut and warn of unrest
Unions have criticised a proposed 2.4% pay rise for NHS staff in England as derisory and a real-terms cut, warning it risks further industrial unrest.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Unions have condemned a proposed 2.4% pay rise for NHS staff in England, saying it amounts to a real-terms cut and could lead to further industrial action.
The government has recommended the 2.4% increase for next year. The Department of Health and NHS England told the independent pay review body that this is all they can afford. They argue that any more would put at risk plans to cut waiting lists and invest in new technology.
The department and NHS England say every 0.5 percentage point added to staff pay costs £750 million. They say that is the equivalent of 89,000 knee and hip operations.
Union reaction has been angry. The British Medical Association said the proposal was effectively a pay cut. It said it beggars belief that, at a time when patients are being treated in corridors and car parks, the government thinks doctors deserve a pay cut. The BMA warned that the offer risks further industrial unrest and disruption.
The Royal College of Nursing called it a betrayal of nursing staff in the NHS and said thousands of health service staff would be furious. Unison said the government was trying to get away with an insulting pay rise and that thousands of staff would earn more working in supermarkets.
The government says it is balancing rising costs, including energy and inflation, and the impact of past industrial action. The 2.4% figure is not the final pay offer. The independent pay review body will make its recommendation next year.
- Government recommendation: 2.4% for NHS staff in England from next year.
- Cost argument: each 0.5 percentage point rise costs £750 million, or 89,000 knee and hip operations.
- Union view: the rise is a real-terms cut and risks more strikes.
- Next step: independent pay review body recommendation next year.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| The Department of Health and NHS England told the independent pay review body that 2.4% was all they could afford, with each additional 0.5 percentage point costing £750 million, equivalent to 89,000 knee and hip operations. | |
| The government recommended a 2.4% pay rise for NHS staff in England from next year. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV led on the political fallout and the risk of fresh strikes, with its health correspondent setting out the government's affordability argument before giving union reaction. It balanced the 2.4% figure against the cost of extra pay in operations and included warnings from the BMA, RCN and Unison. The report also stressed that this is not the final offer and that the pay review body will decide next year.
- “The British Medical Association said it was effectively a pay cut”
- “it would be a betrayal of nursing staff in our NHS”
- “the government's trying to get away with an insulting pay rise”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.