Health unions demand scrapping of ‘outdated’ Pay Review Body process

Three of the largest health unions, UNISON, the RCN and Unite, have called on health secretary Wes Streeting to “ditch the current time-consuming pay process for good” and hold direct pay talks.

They called on the government to bypass the independent panel that reviews NHS pay and not wait for the Pay Review Body (PRB) process to run its course before awarding next year’s wage increase.

They warned this would mean that “yet again”, a million NHS staff in England would not receive their pay rise on time in April 2025.

The unions did not submit evidence to the PRB this year, calling the current system “inefficient, outdated and not fit for purpose”.

“The PRB process is proven to be broken beyond repair,” said Unite national officer Richard Munn.

“NHS staff have suffered substantial real-terms pay cuts for over a decade. This has created a huge recruitment and retention crisis.”

UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “The government should scrap the inefficient twin-track approach to NHS pay, save itself some money and focus on direct talks with unions instead.”

A poll of almost 2,000 NHS and ambulance workers, carried out by the GMB general union as it gathered evidence for a PRB submission, found that two-thirds had considered quitting the NHS in the past six months.

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison pointed to real terms pay cuts, under-staffing and the global pandemic as factors.