Ministers are likely to face a fresh outbreak of industrial unrest if, as expected, the government accepts a well-below inflation pay rise for NHS workers, unions and professional groups have warned.
Even if there are no strikes over a pay offer at around the expected 3% level, some said another cut in real-terms pay coupled with staff shortages and the legacy of Covid could simply prompt an exodus of workers, with one official calling the situation “a perfect storm for the NHS”.
