According to unions, the government has pledged to provide additional funding.
The government is reportedly on track to offer NHS workers in England an increased pay award in return for ending the current dispute over pay.
Health unions today announced they would formally join the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) at the negotiating table after it was established an increase pay award for the 2022/23 is on the cards.
Unison, GMB, and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy have committed to not taking further strike action while formal negotiations take place.
According to the unions, the government has pledged to provide additional funding for an additional pay increase for NHS workers both this year (2022/23) and next (2023/24).
The specifics of any potential deal are not yet known, but unions continue to ask for an “above inflation” rise despite giving the green light to much lower pay awards in Scotland.
Beginning of the end.
NHS Staff Council Chair and UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Unions said all along they could pause strikes if ministers would only commit to formal talks to boost pay for this year.
“The government has finally promised extra investment in pay for both this and next year.
“The sad thing is this could all have been handled so differently. Proper pay talks should have started months ago, long before the first strike was called. That would have avoided days of disruption for the NHS and its patients.
Ms. Gorton continued, “Whether the talks signal the beginning of the end of the current dispute will emerge in the coming days. If a deal can be reached, strikes can end and everyone can work together again to ensure the NHS gets back on track.
“However, when we get in the room, we’ll quickly learn whether the talks can be meaningful. If not, UNISON will be forced to resume strike action. Nobody wants that.”
