The Welsh Government is seeking to end strikes by NHS workers in Wales by proposing a one-off payment to all health service staff worth around £1,000, a move that will put pressure on prime minister Rishi Sunak to follow suit in England.
The move by the Labour-led government in Cardiff comes amid signs of progress in efforts to reduce industrial action on the railways, as the union and rail companies RMT and TSSA said they were “working together” towards a new pay offer.
The threat of full-scale walkouts by school teachers across England and Wales over pay also subsided after the NASUWT union announced that the turnout in the strike ballot had fallen short of the legal threshold for industrial action.
Sunak is facing Britain’s worst wave of strikes in decades, as NHS workers, civil servants and rail staff demand higher pay amid a cost of living crisis.
The prime minister has so far resisted pressure from unions to raise the pay of NHS workers in England for the 2022-23 financial year despite strikes from ambulance staff and nurses.
But those briefed on the Welsh government’s proposals said the pot of money identified by ministers would allow a one-off payment of around £1,000 to all NHS workers across the government for the 2022-23 financial year.
Eluned Morgan, the Welsh health minister, discussed NHS pay at a meeting with unions on Thursday, and she said “we recognize and respect the strength of feeling among union members”.
The union said a one-off payment of £1,000 was not yet a formal offer.
One GMB union official said the protests over the proposal would not translate into a permanent uplift in pay, adding that members would continue to take industrial action.
But Sara Gorton, head of health at the Unison union, said the Welsh government’s move would “increase pressure” on Westminster.
Health secretary Steve Barclay is reviewing union proposals to back out of next year’s NHS pay rise in England until January 2023, as well as a one-off payment for health service staff. No decision was made.
The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, used a meeting with Barclay on Thursday to demand “full pay restoration” for junior members in the UK.
The BMA estimates that junior doctors’ pay has fallen by 26.1 per cent in real terms since 2008-09 and is poised to call a 72-hour walkout in March if a majority vote in favor of strike action.
The GMB said it was ready to announce a new date for a strike by ambulance workers following the latest walkout on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, there is a sense of excitement in talks involving the RMT and TSSA unions and the rail companies, after more than six months of industrial action on the rail.
A new pay offer for the RMT, which has led the strike, could come from the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, as soon as possible.
The industry is proposing a 9 per cent pay rise over two years, tied to workplace reforms, after the RMT rejected an 8 per cent offer last year, people briefed on the discussions said.
Others said there was “movement” around some of the industry’s demands for workplace modernization, many of which unions had previously rejected.
The RMT will also hold fresh talks with infrastructure operator Network Rail next week in a separate dispute over pay and working practices.
Although teachers who are members of the NASUWT union will not go on strike, schools may still be affected by pay. The teachers unions NEU and NAHT are due to announce the results of the strike in the coming days.
Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said strong support for strike action over pay among the 42 per cent of members who had voted showed “the profession’s anger and the need for governments in England and Wales to engage in meaningful negotiations”.
Universities in England will be affected by 18 days of walkouts by staff in February and March.
The University and College Union, which represents academics and some administrators, announced on Thursday that more than 70,000 workers at 150 universities will strike over pay, insecure contracts and reduced pension benefits.
The move comes after the union rejected a 4-7 percent pay offer by the University and College Employers’ Association.
UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said: “The clock is now ticking for the sector to strike a deal or face widespread disruption in the spring.”