Fresh NHS strikes by several unions have been paused after the government put an extra £2.5 billion on the table to fund a pay rise for thousands of healthcare staff.
The offer consists of lump sum payment for the current financial year 2022/23 and a 5% consolidated pay increase for 2023/24.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said for a newly qualified nurse that is over £1800 this year on top of a payrise of over £1300 next year.
He said: “I hugely admire the incredible work of NHS staff, including during the pandemic and the progress they have made to tackle the resulting backlog.
“This offer will give nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists and other non-medical staff a fair pay rise while protecting our commitment to halve inflation.”
The RCN and GMB and said they would recommend members accept the offer – but Unite said they would not.
However, the union said members ultimately make the final decision and strikes will still be paused while they consult on the offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is clear that the government has been forced into negotiations and the subsequent move because of strike action and the support of the public for the NHS.
“The offer from government is not one that Unite can recommend to our members, but ultimately it is important that our members make the final decision. Unite will support members in whichever decision they now make. As Unite members are being consulted, strike action will be paused.”
Other unions were more welcoming of the agreement, even as they acknowledged it was “far from perfect”.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said if the offer is accepted it would be a “huge uplift for the lowest paid to keep them well above the Real Living Wage”.
She said: “Thanks to the strength and hard work of GMB’s NHS members, the government has gone from refusing to talk about pay this year to putting an extra 2.5 billion pounds on the table.
“GMB members should rightly be proud of themselves. It’s been a tough road but they have faced down the Department of Health and won an offer that we feel is the best that can be achieved at this stage through negotiation.”
Ms Harrison said progress has also been made on non-pay demands, such as addressing violence in the workplace.
She said the GMB’s national committee is recommending that it is accepted, even as she called the offer “far from perfect” and said the NHS “deserves more”.
“Strike action will be paused until the outcome of the ballot,” she added.
The GMB, alongside the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Unison and Unite had already paused strike action this month while undergoing “intensive” negotiations with the government over pay.
At the heart of the dispute was a demand for a pay increase for the current financial year, which ministers initially insisted was not affordable.
Tens of thousands of nurses, paramedics and other healthcare staff went on strike just before Christmas, then again in January and February.
Last month, the government finally agreed to talk about pay, averting several planned walkouts that would have seen thousands more operations cancelled.