Written Statement: Update on NHS Pay award enhancement for 2022/2023 and pay award for 2023/24 Agenda for Change staff (11 September 2023)

Further to my written statement on the 20^th July 2023, which provided an update on the NHS Wales Agenda for Change two year pay award. Whilst the majority of unions chose to accept the offer, two unions, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Society of Radiographers (SoR) - remained in dispute.

In my previous statement I outlined that in social partnership, while maintaining the collective agreement, my officials would continue to engage with RCN and SoR in order to seek to address legitimate, specific concerns and to avoid any further industrial action. As a result of those discussions we were able to further develop and clarify some of the non-pay elements of the two year pay deal which were of most concern to the professions represented by RCN and SoR.

I am pleased to announce that following a ballot of their members that RCN and SOR members have agreed to accept the two year pay deal to formally end their dispute over pay for 2023/24 with Welsh Government.

Whilst I am pleased that the Agenda for Change pay dispute has ended, we understand the strength of feeling among NHS staff as a whole and will continue to work in social partnership with our health unions and NHS employers to address staff concerns and work together on the non-pay elements of the pay deal.