Members of public sector union Unison have overwhelmingly backed a new pay and conditions package for NHS staff.
Unison voted 75.2 per cent in favour of full implementation of Agenda for Change across the NHS. It will mean workers will receive a minimum wage of £5.69 an hour when the initiative is launched in December.
The union said its health service group executive had agreed to accept the package in principle, pending further talks about extending unsocial hours payments to all staff.
Dave Prentis, Unison general secretary, said: “Thanks to today’s vote the NHS is closer to the goal of achieving a modern pay and conditions system which properly recognises and rewards the skills of the workforce, and offers training opportunities and real progression through the ranks.
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“It also means that no-one will be paid less than £5.69 an hour, which is a major breakthrough for low-paid NHS workers.”
The Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives have already backed the deal, but the Society of Radiographers, which has 16,000 members, has rejected the deal.
