Hundreds of thousands of nurses will begin to vote on whether this year’s NHS pay award is enough, via a consultation being run by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The union has today launched a consultative ballot of 345,000 members across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the 3.6% pay offer put forward by the government for 2025-26.
“They won’t just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it’s enough to turn our profession around”
Nicola Ranger
It said this biggest single vote of the profession in the UK would be “crucial” to determining next steps by the union, which could include a ballot for strike action.
It comes as ministers last month announced that they had accepted the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body for 2025-26.
This will see nurses and other NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts receive a 3.6% pay increase this year backdated to April 2025.
At the time the pay deal was announced, the RCN described the offer as “grotesque” and raised specific concerns about the fact it was lower than the 4% doctors and dentists had received.
In response, campaigners told Nursing Times they wanted to see RCN members reject the deal, warning that many nurses would be willing to strike over the award.
The RCN consultation is open for members working in the NHS in England and Wales, and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.
So far, all three devolved governments have announced their intention to implement the offer, however uncertainty remains in Northern Ireland about how this will be funded.
Speaking at the International Council of Nurses Congress, being held in Helsinki this week, RCN general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger will say: “I’m with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay.
“Nursing is an incredible career but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards.
“It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough.”
The RCN has not made a recommendation on whether members should vote to accept or reject the pay deal.
However, it has warned that nursing staff in England had faced a decade of pay erosion since 2010-11, with pay down a quarter in real terms.
As a result, there are over 26,000 unfilled nursing posts in England, while student recruitment has continued to decline.
Professor Ranger will add: “Over a decade of pay erosion has had a devastating impact on our profession, forcing increasing numbers into quitting while putting off the nurses of the future.
“When our members vote, they won’t just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it’s enough to turn our profession around.”
Other unions across the UK are also balloting their members on the 2025-26 pay award.
Last week, Unite the union announced that it was balloting members in England and Wales on whether the pay award is sufficient and, if not, if they would be willing to take strike action. The union has recommended that its members reject the pay offer.
Meanwhile, the GMB union opened a consultative ballot on 22 May and has made no recommendation whether to accept or reject the deal.
Nursing Times understands that the Royal College of Midwives will open a consultative ballot on 16 June, while Unison is also due to consult members imminently.
More on nurse pay across the UK
