Industrial action could be launched if the Government confirms an NHS pay award well below inflation this week.
Ministers are expected to announce the pay settlement for the vast majority of the NHS workforce in England - including nurses - on Tuesday. Doctors and dentists, and very senior NHS managers, will also have their pay confirmed.
The government are also set to announce the pay awards for school teachers, police officers, prison officers, Armed Forces, the judiciary, senior civil servants, senior military and Police and Crime Commissioners.
It follows speculation that a pay increase of between 3% and 5% will be announced but cash-strapped NHS trusts will receive no extra cash to fund the rise.
Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “With inflation already at 11.7% and set to soar even higher later this year, staff will find yet another real-terms fall in salaries completely unacceptable.
“There are tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs and unfair treatment will push more out of the profession.
“Our members in Scotland have an offer on the table of the level reported, and we have come out against it – asking members to reject it and consider industrial action if ministers do not move.
“Nursing is a highly-skilled profession which deserves fair pay. Their work and current personal hardship warrants better from government, and ministers must do the right thing by nursing.”
NHS bosses warned that if the pay award is not fully funded from Government they will have to cut services.
Danny Mortimer, of NHS Confederation, said: “In the face of 105,000 vacancies across the NHS and unprecedented pressure on services and teams, employers across the NHS will welcome any increase to pay for staff.
“It must however be noted that the reported 5% increase doesn’t match the rate of inflation... the Government must go into this decision with their eyes wide open about the potential consequences of a lower-than-inflation increase.
“It’s deeply concerning that reports suggest the Treasury won’t be providing more funding for the NHS and public health services to cover pay increases.
“That puts NHS leaders in the impossible position of having to choose which services they will take money from in order to fund any pay increase.”
