CliffNotes
- Nurses to vote on pay deal as strike threat grows
- Nearly 350,000 NHS nurses asked to vote on 3.6% pay rise on Monday
- RCN slammed the offer as “grotesque”
Nurses to Vote on Pay Deal as Strike Threat Grows
In short:
Nearly 350,000 NHS nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being asked to vote on a 3.6% pay rise from Monday. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has slammed the offer as “grotesque” and warned it could trigger a fresh strike ballot.
Why it matters
This would be the largest vote of its kind among UK nurses, reigniting a bitter pay dispute after historic strikes in 2022-23. The government argues it’s the second above-inflation raise in under a year—critics say it fails to fix a decade of pay erosion. A new wave of NHS industrial action could loom just as the government prepares to unveil its long-term health plan.
What next
The RCN says this vote will help decide whether to formally move to a strike ballot. If members reject the pay offer, industrial action could return later this summer—just as the government prepares to launch its 10-year NHS plan.