Health unions reject renewed pay offer and move towards strike ballot

Union leaders met on Thursday to discuss what had been put on the table

Northern Ireland's health staff unions have rejected a renewed pay offer and say they will proceed with plans to ballot for industrial action.

Union leaders met on Thursday to discuss what had been put on the table by the Department of Health (DoH), with some describing the proposed settlement as "unacceptable".

BBC News NI understands one of a number of options the department had put to unions was a two-year award deal covering 2025-26 and 2026-27.

The pay award for 2025-26 was a "3.6% consolidated uplift" effective from 1 October 2025, but this would not be backdated to 1 April as part of this year's award.

The department proposed a 2.5% increase for 2026-27, with an added "short-term uplift" of 1.74% to compensate for pay not being backdated this year.

It is understood none of the options proposed were final and all parties are committed to finding a workable solution, with another meeting scheduled next week.

After Thursday's meeting, details of which first emerged on The Nolan Show, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said it was "increasingly frustrated" that its members were being denied the full 3.6% pay award already given to colleagues in other parts of the UK.

RCN director Rita Devlin said the situation is "beyond disappointing"

Its executive director Prof Rita Devlin said "there is still no settlement in sight".

"As a result, the RCN in Northern Ireland has no choice but to continue preparations to ballot members for strike action in the coming weeks.

"This situation is beyond disappointing but going out of pay parity is not an option we're willing to accept.

"We remain committed to ongoing negotiations with the Department of Health and the executive to find a way forward, but it's clear that our members are running out of patience as this stalemate continues," she added.

Health pay is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.

In May, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt signed off £200m to go towards this year's pay deal but said the money would need to be found outside his department due to financial pressures he is already facing.

Earlier this month, the minister said only half of the money needed to resolve the pay award shortfall for healthcare workers had been found.

It contradicted earlier remarks by First Minister Michelle O'Neill that Nesbitt had "found" £100m to help resolve the dispute, with the executive agreeing to put the other half required - £100m - towards it.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said only half of the money needed to resolve the shortfall for the pay award for healthcare workers had been found

Nesbitt said while the additional £100m from the executive was "welcomed", his department was still working to find the rest of the funding.

In a statement on Friday, Nesbitt said his department was continuing "to work in good faith with health unions and professional bodies".

"Talks are continuing as we acknowledge and respond to their concerns within the regrettable financial constraints we face," he said.

"I very much value the ongoing constructive engagement with the health unions, particularly in terms of identifying and exploring any potential options and common ground, as we seek to work through these difficult issues together.

"We anticipate further discussions next week," Nesbitt said.

'Commitments to pay parity must be upheld'

The department's offer for 2026-27 has been made ahead of next year's NHS pay review body (NHSPRB) recommendations being published.

It is understood that should the recommendations exceed the 2.5% proposed offer, a further pay uplift to cover the difference will be made backdated to April 2026.

In a statement, the main health union Unison said it would not be commenting on the ongoing pay discussions.

"Unison has previously stated our intention to ballot members across health and social services for industrial action in relation to pay and that ballot is due to commence in mid-November," it said.

"We have been calling on the health minister and wider executive to take action on the issue of pay for several months and the link to pay parity for health and social services workers has now been broken.

"Commitments that have been made to pay parity must be upheld."