Two unions representing NHS staff in Wales have voted to accept the Welsh Government pay offer. Members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and GMB Union have accepted the revised pay offer.
The results of both union's ballots saw more than two-thirds of members vote to accept the pay deal. But both unions say they are committed to holding the Welsh Government to their promise of restoring pay to 2008 levels.
The offer included a one-off 3% payment, backdated to last year, and a 5% offer from the start of this month. The Welsh Government says the package means that those on the bottom of Band 5, which includes nurses and other health care professionals just starting their careers in NHS Wales, will have received a total pay increase of over 17% (of which over 12% is consolidated) for the financial years for 2022-23 and 2023-24. This sees their starting salary at £28,834. Lowest paid NHS staff will have received a pay increase of over 26% over 2022-23 and 2023-24, which means a starting salary of £22,720 which equates to an hourly rate of £11.39.
