UNISON says the Pay Review Body (PRB) process has “exceeded its shelf life” and is urging the Government to ditch the outdated system and hold direct talks with unions instead.
UNISON will not participate in the 2026/27 NHS PRB process, set to run over the next few months, and says the best way to ensure an efficient wage rise is delivered on time when it’s due in April next year is to cover this in negotiations over much-needed reforms to the Agenda for Change pay structure. These were promised by ministers in 2024 but have still not formally begun.
This year’s 3.6% rise arrived in pay packets four months late and has already been overtaken by the CPI inflation rate, which currently sits at 3.8%, the union says.
Problems in how the pay bands reward staff for taking on extra responsibilities and gaining skills have been left to mount up. The difficulties are making it harder for the NHS to get and keep the staff it needs to deliver good patient care, adds UNISON.
A strong voice
GMB union has confirmed it has also pulled out of the PRB process. GMB represents more than 50,000 NHS staff, of which around half are ambulance workers. National Officer, Sharon Wilde says: "GMB was the only major union to engage with the process last year, giving the body one last chance to listen to our members' concerns.
"It failed miserably. The PRB is clearly past its sell-by date and should be out to pasture."
The 14 unions representing staff on Agenda for Change contracts within the NHS have written jointly to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, urging him to honour the commitment made last year to tackle the problems in the pay system that are harming staffing and morale. The unions believe there is no sensible way to review pay in isolation from the overhaul that's needed for the entire pay structure.
Chief Executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles describes the unions’ decision not to submit evidence to the PRB as a “wake -up call for national NHS leaders.”
He adds: “It’s clear that the deep-rooted dissatisfaction NHS staff feel about their terms and conditions needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
“Given the scale of the pay demands facing the NHS, we need creative thinking and solutions to resolve long-standing problems in the pay system.
“We must avoid this dissatisfaction spilling over into more industrial action. The last thing NHS Trust leaders want to see as they try to get the NHS back on track is more disruptive walkouts by staff.”
