Pay parity for NI healthcare workers to finally be delivered – Nesbitt

Healthcare workers in Northern Ireland are to receive a pay uplift that will restore parity with the rest of the UK, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said.

The announcement delivers uplifts as recommended by pay review bodies in April.

Nurses in the region had warned of imminent strike action if a 3.6% increase recommended by the independent Pay Review Body was not met.

Mr Nesbitt said: “The Executive has today given me approval to deliver pay parity for health service staff, which was our original intention and what unions and professional bodies have been asking for and is their right.

“This would restore pay parity with the percentage uplifts as recommended by pay review bodies being back dated in full to 1 April 2025.

“I would expect our HSC workforce to receive their uplift and back pay in their February 2026 pay packets.”

The minister said: “In addition, and to ensure that issue of late payment of pay awards will never happen again, I can confirm that as Health Minister I am committed to ensuring future pay awards are prioritised in my budget allocation at the start of the financial year and adjusted as necessary to ensure parity.”

Alan Stout, British Medical Association NI council chairman, welcomed the approval of the “overdue pay uplift for doctors in Northern Ireland”.

He said: “It is hugely disappointing that it has taken so long to resolve this and we sincerely hope lessons have indeed been learnt and pay will be prioritised in next year’s budgeting process.

“The goodwill of doctors has been stretched to breaking point.”

Representatives of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) met Mr Nesbitt on Thursday.

Rita Devlin, executive director of the RCN in Northern Ireland said: “This has been a long and protracted process to get to this stage, and we welcome the confirmation that pay parity will be reinstated for hard working health care staff.

“The Royal College of Nursing has consistently maintained that the loss of pay parity with colleagues across the UK was wholly unacceptable.

“Our members have expressed deep frustration over this issue, and we welcome the minister’s commitment to ensuring the late payment of pay awards will never happen again.

“We will now examine the proposal in further detail and take it to the RCN Northern Ireland Board for discussion.”

Mr Nesbitt announced in May that he had signed off the pay award in line with the Pay Review Body (PRB) recommendation of a 3.6% pay rise for health workers in Northern Ireland, but said the money would have to be found by the powersharing Executive because he is facing a funding shortfall in his department.

Last month, he said only half of the money needed to resolve the pay award had been found and negotiations were continuing.