The UK isn’t considering backdating pay rises for NHS staff and other key workers, a government official said, pushing back against an earlier news report.
(Bloomberg) — The UK isn’t considering backdating pay rises for NHS staff and other key workers, a government official said, pushing back against an earlier news report.
There has been no change in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s position on the issue, the official said, asking not to be named discussing the administration’s private conversations. The Financial Times on Tuesday reported that Sunak and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt are considering a pay offer that would see higher wages kick in from April this year alongside a lump sum payment that would effectively backdate the pay increase to January.
The British economy lost nearly 2.5 million working days to strikes last year as demands for higher pay prompted the most severe industrial action since Margaret Thatcher was in power. Protests have escalated this year with major walkouts held by hundreds of thousands of rail staff, civil servants, teachers and workers in the National Health Service.
“The Health and Social Care Secretary has been clear he wants to continue discussing with unions what is fair and affordable as part of the 2023/24 pay process, including concerns around pay, conditions and workload to find ways to make the NHS a better place to work for everyone,” a spokesperson for Sunak said. “We continue to urge unions to call off strikes and engage in a constructive dialogue about the Pay Review Body Process for the coming year.”
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