NURSES in England are set to “overwhelmingly” reject a proposed pay rise, paving the way for fresh strike action, reports suggest.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been balloting its members over a 3.6 per cent pay rise, but reports in the BBC and the Times imply the offer will be firmly rejected.

Last month, the RCN described the offer as “grotesque,” warning that it will see nursing staff receive a pay rise “entirely swallowed up by inflation.”

The union slammed ministers for putting “nursing at the back of the queue” while offering doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces larger pay increases.

A spokesperson for the RCN said: “The results will be announced to our members later this week.

“As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.”

It’s understood that the RCN, which is balloting 345,000 nursing staff, is open to talks on wider pay structures, not just headline pay.

A Department of Health and Social Care statement said that new full-time nurses will earn £30,000 in basic pay for the first time this year. 

“This government is clear: we can’t move any further on headline pay but will work with the RCN to improve their major concerns, including pay structure reform, concerns on career progression and wider working conditions,” it added.

A recent RCN analysis found that nurse pay has been eroded so severely that starting salaries are now more than £8,000 lower than if wages had kept up with inflation since 2010. 

GMB health workers meanwhile have also rejected the government’s 3.6 per cent award. 

The union represents about 50,000 health workers, including 20,000 in the ambulance service.

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: “GMB members in England have voted by a 67 per cent majority to reject the pay award offered for 2025/26.

“Our national NHS and ambulance committees met on July 24 to discuss the ballot results and determine what the next steps should be.

“Today, we have written to [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues of significant importance to GMB members.

“We await his reply with interest.”