Copyright newsletter
The UUP health minister said he is delivering on his original intention – and “what unions and professional bodies have been asking for and is their right”. The uplift will be backdated in full to 1 April 2025 – and workers in health and social care will receive the money in their February pay. Mr Nesbitt says future pay awards will be prioritised in his “budget allocation at the start of the financial year and adjusted as necessary to ensure parity”. He had faced criticism from other parties for not factoring in pay rises at the start of the year. DUP health spokesperson Diane Dodds welcomed the news as recognition of the dedication, professionalism and sacrifice of staff. However, she said it is “regrettable” that the minister was “unable to prioritise resources from within his own departmental budget for staff pay”. “It is only through the collective leadership of the Executive that this award has been delivered”, she said. Announcing the move on Thursday afternoon, the health minister 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. “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." His party colleague Alan Chambers MLA welcomed the announcement as “an important step forward in once again recognising the dedication of our health workers and ensuring they receive the overdue remuneration and parity in pay they deserve”.
