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Health unions in Northern Ireland are moving towards a potential strike ballot as talks are set to resume after a rejected pay offer. Discussions between union leaders and the Department of Health (DoH) are scheduled to take place after the unions objected to a 3.6% pay rise from 1 October 2025, which did not include backdating to April like in the rest of the UK.
One of the options proposed by the department was a two-year award deal covering 2025-26 and 2026-27. This included a 3.6% pay increase for 2025-26 without backdating to 1 April, along with a 2.5% increase for the following year and an additional short-term uplift to compensate for the lack of backdating in the initial offer. Despite these proposals, no final decisions have been made, and all parties are committed to finding a viable solution to the issue.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has expressed disappointment with the situation and is preparing to ballot members for potential strike action. The union’s executive director, Prof Rita Devlin, stated that pay parity is crucial, and they cannot accept going out of sync with their colleagues in the UK. Talks in Northern Ireland come after similar pay settlements were reached in England, Wales, and Scotland under the NHS Agenda for Change framework earlier this year.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has acknowledged the financial constraints that his department faces in resolving the pay award shortfall for healthcare workers. Despite allocating £200m towards this year’s pay deal, only half of the required funds have been secured, with ongoing discussions with health unions to address concerns. The minister values the engagement with unions and aims to explore potential options to navigate through the challenging issues together in the coming weeks
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