The British government and healthcare unions agreed today, Thursday, on a proposal to increase wages by five percent in the coming year and urged workers to accept it, which could end strikes that have disrupted the National Health Service for months.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considered this offer good for National Health Service staff, good for taxpayers, and most importantly, great news for patients who will no longer have their care disrupted by strikes.
The government stated that the offer includes a one-time payment of two percent of salaries for the 2022-2023 fiscal year and a five percent wage increase for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which begins in early April.
The new agreement covers one million nurses, paramedics, midwives, and other workers in England for two years until early April 2024. The strikes will only end if members agree to the deal after a consultation period conducted by the labor unions, which have all nearly recommended accepting the new offer.
