Almost 350,000 nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be asked to vote from Monday on a 3.6% pay increase.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has already dismissed the award as “grotesque” and says the vote will be crucial in determining the next steps which could include a ballot for strike action.
The government says that as a result of the pay rise, nurses will earn more than £30,000 as a new starter for the first time ever.
A bitter pay dispute saw nurses striking in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from late 2022 and through the winter, with some members of other health unions staging walkouts over pay.
With the possibility of another round of industrial action looming, the vote is being billed as the biggest single vote by the profession ever launched in the UK.
Patricia Marquis, executive director of RCN England, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the vote was a consultation on the pay award and not a strike ballot at this stage.
The RCN has not set a date for the consultation to close.
Ministers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland all announced pay awards following review body recommendations.
There was a 5.4% average increase for resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, 4% for consultants and other senior doctors, and 3.6% for nurses and other health workers.
RCN General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said that the government had “once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay”.
“Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards.”
According to Ms Ranger, nursing staff in England have endured “over a decade of pay erosion”, which has resulted in “skyrocketing” numbers of nurses quitting.
“It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough,” Ranger said.
The Department of Health and Social Care, covering England, said the pay rise on the table was the second above inflation increase for NHS staff in the last 10 months.
“We’ve accepted the pay recommendations in full because we value every NHS professional’s contribution to patient care,” a spokesperson said.
“We can’t undo a decade and a half of neglect in less than a year, but together with NHS staff this government is rebuilding their pay and rebuilding our health service.”
Resident doctors in England are already being balloted on strike action over pay. Other health unions are organising votes on the pay awards.
All this may cast a shadow over a government 10-year plan for the NHS in England due in the next few weeks.
The Scottish government has already agreed a two-year 8% pay offer with health unions.
