HEALTH workers in Wales are being balloted on an improved offer from the Welsh government aimed at resolving the long-running dispute over pay.

Unite is not recommending acceptance of the proposed deal but said that strike action will be paused while voting is held over the next month.

The union said that the pay offer falls short of inflation and does not address the concerns of its members over the cost of living.

But it described it as a “significant improvement” on what was previously proposed by the Welsh government.

Unison head of bargaining and campaigns in Wales Jess Turner said: “It has taken months of talks in Wales to achieve this new improved pay offer for staff. 

“We know they deserve more but this offer is a significant step forward and the best that could be achieved through negotiation.

“Earlier this year, Unison ambulance workers in Wales secured a mandate for strike action as morale hit an all-time low. 

“But this offer is a significant improvement from where we started in January.

“The offer also contains additional commitments to reductions in the qualifying period for unsocial hours and enhancements on sick pay.

“That’s why Unison is now recommending voters to accept the offer. This will avoid workers losing pay during strikes, further delays in the NHS and will mean extra money in their pay checks. 

“If health workers reject, there’s a risk the offer could be withdrawn.”

Welsh minister for health and social services Eluned Morgan said that most unions will be recommending accepting the offer of pay rises for 2022/23 and 2023/24.

For 2022-23, a collective agreement was reached earlier this year which provided 3 per cent, half of which was a non-consolidated cash payment, on top of the average 4.7 per cent increase already made following the Pay Review Body recommendations.

The offer for 2022-23 is a one-off NHS Recovery Payment of an average 3 per cent non-consolidated payment.

For 2023-24, the offer is for a consolidated across-the-board increase of 5 per cent with effect from April 1 2023 to Agenda for Change pay scales.

If the offer is accepted, this means that NHS staff in Wales will have received an average award of over 15.7 per cent, of which 11.2 per cent is consolidated into pay permanently, said the Welsh government.