Nurses in England are widely expected to reject their recently offered pay award this week, according to BBC sources, increasing the likelihood of industrial action later this year.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been conducting a consultative ballot on the proposed 3.6% pay increase. The RCN previously described the award as “grotesque,” arguing that nurses deserve a comparable increase to that received by doctors, teachers, prison officers, and members of the armed forces.
The results of the ballot are expected later this week, with BBC sources suggesting an “overwhelming” rejection of the offer.
The government maintains that there have already been two above-inflation pay rises, and urged RCN members to accept the current award.
Any decision regarding formal strike action will be deferred until later in the year.
In May, the government accepted the recommendations of the pay review body, which proposed a 3.6% increase for nurses this year.
Turnout for the ballot is expected to exceed the 50% threshold required for industrial action.
The union is expected to request negotiations with ministers over the summer in an effort to avoid a formal strike ballot in the autumn.
Reportedly, the RCN is open to discussing broader pay structures, beyond just the headline pay figure.
A union spokesperson stated, “The results will be announced to our members later this week. As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued, and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said new full-time nurses would receive £30,000 in basic pay for the first time this year following previous pay rises.
They continued: “This government is clear we can’t move any further on headline pay but will work with the RCN to improve their major concerns, including pay structure reform, concerns on career progression and wider working conditions.”
Separately, on Friday, the GMB union, representing thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, rejected the government’s pay deal in an initial consultative vote.
The GMB reported that its members voted by 67% against the proposed 3.6% pay award for 2025/26 in England.
The union has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting requesting an urgent meeting to discuss pay and related issues.
GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: “Our national NHS and ambulance committees met on 24 July to discuss the ballot results and determine what the next steps should be.
“Today, we have written to Secretary of State Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues of significant importance to GMB members.
“We await his reply with interest.”
Thousands of resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, commenced a five-day strike on Friday following the failure of negotiations between the government and the British Medical Association concerning pay.
The health secretary stated that while it was not possible to eliminate disruption to the NHS entirely, efforts were being made to minimize it.
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