First Minister announces public sector pay rises

NHS staff, teachers and public sector workers in many devolved services will receive pay rises of between 5% and 6% in 2024-25.

The announcement comes as the Welsh Government has accepted the pay recommendations from independent pay review bodies in full:

• Teachers will receive a 5.5% pay award.

• NHS staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions will receive a 5.5% pay award.

• Doctors and dentists, including GPs and salaried GPs, will receive a 6% pay award, with an additional £1,000 for junior doctors.

The Welsh Government has also agreed up to an average 5% pay award for civil servants and for staff at a number of other public bodies, including Natural Resources Wales and the Development Bank of Wales.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “People across Wales have told us over the summer that public sector workers are the backbone of the services we all rely on – from the nurses in our NHS to teachers in classrooms across Wales.

“They want them to be fairly rewarded for the vital work they do. These pay awards reflect how we value them and respect their hard work.

“But the public has also been clear they want to see improvements in public services – especially in the NHS and education. We will work with these services to deliver on what people have told us over the summer listening exercise.”

Cabinet Secretary for Finance Rebecca Evans said: “We greatly value the hundreds of thousands of people working across the public sector in Wales and the work they do every day. We have worked hard to be able to make this offer.

“We are committed to working in social partnership with trade unions to achieve fair pay settlements which are affordable while also recognising the huge contribution made by public sector workers.”

Independent pay review bodies make recommendations to governments about pay. Other parts of the public sector in Wales, including local government staff, fire and rescue services and social care, are not covered by the independent pay review bodies and are negotiated through a separate process.

Welcomed

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Wales has welcomed First Minister Eluned Morgan’s announcement of a 5.5% pay award for its members in Wales.

After months of waiting the RCM says it’s pleased the Welsh Government has accepted the recommendations of the Pay Review Body (PRB) which means midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) across Wales are now set to receive an above inflation pay award.

The RCM says it’s pleased the award is above inflation and on par with what RCM members in England will receive.

Commenting RCM’s Director for Wales, Julie Richards, said: “In our evidence to the Pay Review Body we called for real terms pay increase, consolidated across the board and one that starts to address the pay cuts our members have faced for far too long. So, we are pleased that the announcement has finally been made. For far too long our hardworking midwives and MSWs across Wales have been left in limbo and we have told the Government time and time again that this delay in announcing a pay increase has really eroded the morale of our hardworking members, making many feel undervalued.”

The RCM says investing in the pay of NHS staff will also go some way towards stemming the tide of midwives who have been weighing up leaving midwifery due to last year’s below inflation pay rise. It has also warned that there are wider issues that need addressing to make sure NHS Wales can retain midwifery staff this includes addressing the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay structure and examining the length of time it takes staff to progress between some pay bands.

Investment in the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme that underpins the pay system, ensuring equal pay for work of equal value is also required says RCM. Job evaluation is also important to addressing wider pay discrimination, gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps. Although the RCM has said for it to work properly it needs effective local application and job matching.

Juile added: “We very much hope that today’s announcement is the beginning of much needed work to improve the pay, terms and conditions of our AfC members in Wales. However, we await more details on the wider aspects of this pay award, but going forward we want to work with the Welsh Government to improve a pay process that many staff have lost faith in. We must also tackle the issues within the Agenda for Change pay system too. We need to ensure it’s a fair pay system for all and that equal pay is given to work of equal value.

The RCM says it will now take this award to the RCM Board for consideration and decisions on next steps including a consultation with its members in Wales.

“Fairer deal”