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Unions are due to hold a crunch meeting on NHS pay today, with a decision expected on whether to jointly accept or reject the government’s revised remuneration deal. With major players
Unison and the Royal College of Nursing having voted to accept the deal, along with the Royal College of Midwives and the GMB, a decision to accept looks the most likely outcome. But the
situation could yet be influenced by Unite, which is yet to reveal its ballot results, and Managers in Partnership, which has so far rejected the deal. If unions accept the deal at the
meeting, NHS staff will receive their pay rise in April. However, if agreement is not reached, a split may result, with some staff groups getting a pay rise while others continue the dispute
with the government. Unison, the RCN and the GMB all announced the results of membership consultations over the deal last week. The RCN said 60% of members who voted were in favour and
40% against, while 67% of Unison voters were in favour and 32% were against. Meanwhile, GMB said 81% of its NHS members in England voted to accept and 19% to reject. The RCM announced that
its members wanted to accept the deal at the end of February. * RCN members vote to accept government pay offer * NHS members of Unison vote to accept latest government pay deal * Midwives
vote to accept NHS 1% proposed pay deal The government offer includes a 1% pay rise for all NHS staff up to pay point 42, the second point on band 8c (£56,504) from 1 April 2015. It would
also see a one-year increment freeze for staff on pay point 34, the second point of band 8a (£40,458) and above, plus additional changes to benefit those on the lowest pay scales. In
addition, it includes a commitment by ministers to continue using the independent NHS Pay Review Body in future years for setting remuneration levels. The government put forward its renewed
pay offer for all NHS staff in England in January, causing unions to suspend a planned 12-hour strike in order to consult members on the proposals. The move followed two four-hour strikes
held in the autumn – on 13 October and on 24 November. Visit the _Nursing Times_ website later today for updates on the outcome of the union pay meeting.
