Latest news with #RetailPriceIndex
Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
BREAKING: Nurses reject NHS pay deal - and could join resident doctors on picket line
Nurses have voted to reject their NHS pay deal in a move that could lead to more strike action. The Royal College of Nursing confirmed 91% of its members who voted rejected the 3.6% pay rise they have been granted for 2025/26. Nurses are furious that for the second year running they have been given less than resident doctors, who have been awarded 5.4% but still went on strike recently. President Professor Nicola Ranger previously labelled it 'grotesque' that nurses were again being awarded less than doctors. Professor Ranger said: 'My profession feels deeply undervalued and that is why record numbers are telling the government to wake up, sense the urgency here and do what's right by them and by patients. "Record numbers have delivered this verdict on a broken system that holds back nursing pay and careers and hampers the NHS.' The vote to reject the pay offer included nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on a 56% turnout. The legal minimum in any follow-up vote over whether to strike is 50%. The RCN said 170,000 nurses voted in its ballot in England, its highest ever, and is demanding ministers use the summer to reach a deal. Without an improved deal it will escalate to a dispute and an industrial action ballot which could see nurses strike in Autumn. It comes shortly after a five-day strike by resident doctors which is expected to have caused thousands of cancelled appointments. Details on the number of appointments, procedures and operations postponed are expected to be published later today(THUR). NHS leaders fear that Mr Streeting could face a full-scale NHS rebellion after other health unions also rejected their pay deals. The Unite union, which has members in almost all NHS professions, and GMB, which represents staff including ambulance workers, have both rejected the 3.6% pay deal in recent weeks. Most NHS staff on the main Agenda for Change contract - which excludes doctors and dentists - have been awarded a 3.6% increase for 2025/26. This uplift was recommended by the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) based on evidence submitted by the government, employers and unions. However unions have questioned the impartiality of the pay review body. The current annual inflation rate for the Retail Price Index (RPI) in the UK is 4.4%. The latest UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate - which excludes mortgage costs - is 3.6%. The RCN is understood to be open to talks on wider pay structures and quicker career progression, not just headline pay. The union says the pay banding in the Agenda for Change system unfairly traps nurses in lower bands, in some cases for their whole careers. Prof Ranger added: 'As a safety-critical profession, keeping hold of experienced nursing staff is fundamentally a safety issue and key to the government's own vision for the NHS. Long-overdue reforms to nursing career progression and the NHS pay structure aren't just about fairness and equity but are critical for patient safety. 'We deliver the vast majority of care in every service and deserve to be valued for all our skill, knowledge and experience. To avoid formal escalation, the government must be true to its word and negotiate on reforms of the outdated pay structure which traps nursing staff at the same band their entire career.' Mr Streeting is expected to restart talks with the British Medical Association early next week to avert further strikes by resident doctors. Their unanimous vote to strike - on a 55% turnout - means the BMA's resident doctors committee has a legal mandate to organise strikes until January 2025. The Government is adamant it cannot increase headline pay but could find other solutions such as reduced doctor training costs and improved working conditions. Doctors are demanding a commitment to return to 2008 levels of pay, saying they will accept this over a number of years. The BMA argues that by the RPI Measure of inflation resident doctors' real terms salaries are down a fifth since then. Kemi Badenoch has pledged to outlaw strikes by doctors, bringing them into line with the police and army, if she becomes prime minister.
Scottish Sun
30-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
BT and EE announces mid-contract bill hikes for customers from tomorrow – how you can shave your bill today
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BT AND EE are to introduce hefty hikes to mid-contract price rises from tomorrow. New customers who sign up to a broadband package on or after Thursday, July 31 will be subject to a £4 price rise midway through their contract. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 BT and EE are raising their mid-contract price hikes to £4 for customers who join from tomorrow Credit: Alamy This is up from the previous £3 mid-contract price increase. Customers who sign up from July 31 will be subject to the price hike on March 31, 2026, and again on March 31, 2027. Meanwhile, Plusnet will also hike its mid-contract price rise to £4 from August 5. Mobile plans will also be subject to mid-contract price rises for BT, EE and Plusnet customers. Anyone on Sim only and Flex Pay plans will see their contracts rise by £2.50 in April, while bundled handset and airtime plan customers will face a £4 rise. New mid-contract price rises: BT, EE and Plusnet CUSTOMERS of BT, EE and Plusnet will face the following price hikes to their bills from April: Mobile Flex Pay airtime plan +£2.50 Sim only +£2.50 Bundled handset and airtime plans +£4 Mobile broadband dongles – £1.50 Connected devices including Laptops, Tablets, Smartwatches +£1.50 per month Broadband (including hubs that use a 4G/5G sim) +£4 per month Out of bundle services will also increase by 5% on 31st March each year It comes after Telecoms firms were ordered by Ofcom to display mid-contract price increases in the form of pounds and pence from January 17. Prices are usually hiked in April in line with either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or Retail Price Index (RPI) measures of inflation plus up to 3.9%. Under the new rules, customers must be shown by their broadband or mobile provider exactly how much their bill is going up by in April. This is so customers know exactly how much their contract will rise before taking it out rather than it being linked to future inflation, which can go up or down. A spokesperson for BT, which owns both Plusnet and EE, said: 'We are very supportive of Ofcom's requirement to show upfront pounds and pence charges. "EE was the first provider to introduce this pricing model, offering EE customers a predictable long-term view of their contract terms. Our pricing approach is designed to be clear for our customers." They added: "We continue to invest in our business, building on 11 years as the best network to better serve our customers with a reliable and quality connection as we roll out the fastest speed technology to 30million homes by the end of the decade. "We're focused on providing value and customer satisfaction, making new technologies available to our customers such as 5G standalone and WiFi 7." It comes just days after it was confirmed that BT had paid out a huge £18million to customers after a ruling by Ofcom. The telecoms provider was forced to give payouts to more than one million customers. The watchdog previously found they had made sales to more than a million customers without providing them with contract summary and information documents. It meant some customers were unaware they would have exit fees if they tried to leave the provider. Ofcom's consumer protection rules, which came into effect in 2022, state that customers should have a short summary of key terms of the contract. These include the price and length of the contract, the speed of the service and any early exit fees. How to get a better deal Shopping around for a better deal can often be the best way to cut down on mobile and broadband costs. But switching to a new service isn't necessarily needed, if you'd rather stay with your own provider. Haggling for a new offer is the best starting point for cutting down your broadband bills. The first thing to do is to find out what the cheapest deal on the market is, which you can use as a bargaining tool to get a better offer. Visit comparison sites like or to do this, and find the best deals on the market. You can then call up your telecom company and tell them you're unhappy with the price, or you could go into a branch in-person to haggle for a better mobile contract. You can tell them you've found a better price somewhere else or that, as a loyal customer, you want to know if you can get a better deal. Cut your telecom costs Switching contracts is one of the single best ways to save money on your mobile, broadband and TV bills. But if you can't switch mid-contract without facing a penalty, you'd be best to hold off until it's up for renewal. But don't just switch contracts because the price is cheaper than what you're currently paying. Take a look at your minutes and texts, as well as your data usage, to find out which deal is best for you. For example, if you're a heavy internet user, it's worth finding a deal that accommodates this so you don't have to spend extra on bundles or add-ons each month. In the weeks before your contract is up, use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with what deals are available. It's a known fact that new customers always get the best deals. Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, allowances and provider. This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider. However, if you don't want to switch and are happy with the service you're getting under your current provider - haggle for a better deal. You can still make significant savings by renewing your contract rather than rolling on to the tariff you're given after your deal. If you need to speak to a company on the phone, be sure to catch them at the right time. Make some time to negotiate with your provider in the morning. This way, you have a better chance of being the first customer through on the phone, and the rep won't have worked tirelessly through previous calls which may have affected their stress levels. It pays to be polite when getting through to someone on the phone, as representatives are less inclined to help rude or aggressive customers. Knowing what other offers are on the market can help you to make a case for yourself to your provider. If your provider won't haggle, you can always threaten to leave. Companies don't want to lose customers and may come up with a last-minute offer to keep you. It's also worth investigating social tariffs. These deals have been created for people who are receiving certain benefits. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
BBC News
29-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Institute of Directors Guernsey reacts to inflation slowing
The Institute of Directors in Guernsey has reacted after inflation slowed to 3.9% between March and rate, measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI), is 1.4% lower than the same time last year and 0.3% lower than March 2025. Richard Hemans, the Institute of Directors Guernsey's lead on economics, said the island "must accelerate housing development, expand workforce capacity, and improve productivity in key service sectors, while fiscal discipline, targeted immigration, and greater competition in key markets are also essential to ease inflationary pressure".He said the inflation rate was "lower than the UK" which was "a welcome development but not yet a cause for complacency". The bulletin showed Guernsey's housing costs increased by 6.9% and contributed 1.3 points to overall inflation. Household services and food were the other major drivers of Guernsey inflation, rising 5.7% and 4.4% inflation, excluding food and energy, was 3.2%, down from 4.2% in institute represents business leaders and directors in Hemans said: "The reduction in core inflation underlines the impact of volatile food and energy prices on local inflation, with recent electricity price increases contributing 0.3% to the latest figures. "Core inflation is therefore coming down faster than the headline figure suggests." 'Avoiding wage-price spirals' He added that "services inflation accounts for 2.9% points of Guernsey's 3.9% RPI, compared with 1.0% from goods. "The biggest service-sector pressures stem from rents, fees and subscriptions, mortgage interest, electricity, and domestic and personal services — areas where market concentration and labour shortages are driving persistent cost increases."He said it highlighted the structural challenges faced by Guernsey's housing and labour said the "States' forecast of 3.2% inflation by year-end looks achievable, but further progress will depend on easing housing costs and avoiding wage-price spirals."Persistent inflation at current levels risk eroding competitiveness and living standards," he added.
Daily Mirror
25-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Striking doctors accuse Wes Streeting of a 'slap in the face' of trade unions
Angry doctors on picket lines demand Government increases their pay but Health Secretary Wes Streeting refuses to budge on 'unnecessary, reckless strike action' Thousands of doctors are out on strike today in a bitter pay dispute with the Government. Resident doctors across England are walking out for five days, demanding Labour commits to pay 'restoration', after over a decade of below-inflation deals under previous Tory governments. The British Medical Association has organised main regional picket lines for around 50,00 striking doctors at NHS sites in the North East, North West, Midlands, east of England and across the South. Dr Kelly Johnson told of her anger at Health Secretary Wes Streeting's opposition to the strikes. Speaking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London where she works, she said: "Every union has the right to strike. It feels like a slap in the face to say that we are doing something that is unjust. Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we can't come out and strike and protest for what we think is right." Speaking outside Leeds General Infirmary, paediatrics registrar Cristina Costache said: "Reducing the waiting list is a really good target but you're going to reduce the waiting list if you increase the numbers of posts, if you give better pay so the jobs don't leave for another country." Dr Ben Cowdry, posted on social media site X the crab emoji which has been adopted by a faction of resident doctors to represent not taking a backward step in their industrial dispute. He said: Today's picket at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. £22.67/hr is not an unreasonable ask. Doctors have subsidised the NHS for far too long. Perhaps Wes Streeting needs reminding that the power to stop these strikes lies squarely with the government.' Picket lines are being staged at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The BMA points to pay erosion since 2008 saying real terms salaries are down 20% since then according to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. The Government's preferred measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, shows average resident doctor salaries down 5% since 2008 but ministers point out they have been increasing in real terms in recent years. The latest deal for 2025/26 consisted of a 4% uplift plus £750 "on a consolidated basis" - working out as an average rise of 5.4%, before inflation. Speaking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, 26, said: "But the most recent pay uplift represents a 1% real terms uplift. At that rate it would take roughly 20 years to restore a 21% pay erosion. Wes Streeting said that pay restoration is a journey - we're willing to take him on that journey, but that journey is far beyond the lifespan of this Government. Dr Al-Qusous added: "'The power to stop these strikes lies squarely with this Government'. That is a direct quote from Wes Streeting when he was the shadow health secretary in 2022. That same logic and that responsibility lies with him at the moment. All he has to do is negotiate with us on pay. It doesn't have to be all in one year, it can be split over several years. We're asking for our pay to be restored. Our pay demands are only so high because our pay erosion has been so severe." Health Secretary Wes Streeting says doctors have received a 29% pay increase over the last three years, before inflation. This is because after Labour came to power it settled a dispute it inherited from the previous Tory government with a pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. However this covered a period of high inflation following the chaos of the short-lived Liz Truss government. Mr Streeting has insisted the 5.4% they received for 2025/26 is the highest in the public sector and all the Government can afford right now. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting its members over a 3.6% pay award. Mr Streeting said: "I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. "What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. "They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors - working lives - and that's why I think this is such reckless action. "This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year." It comes after NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: "When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.." It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Other NHS sites where striking doctors are gathering are the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA's resident doctor's committee, said she and other medics regularly receive job offers from hospitals Down Under. Ryan, a paediatric trainee working in Nottingham, told the Mirror: ' Australia sends me messages on social media saying 'come and work for us — we'd pay you better, you'd work less hours and the weather is better.' We have had new doctors, coming through, make those choices to leave because it's very stressful in the NHS but also because our pay is just not competitive and it's a global market for doctors.' Ryan, 45, continued: 'The problem is it's the patients who will miss out — we're already short staffed, we can't afford to lose a single more doctor to oversees work. What we need is for the Government to recognise the value of doctors, to reverse our pay erosion, actually come and talk and give us an offer and then I wouldn't need to be out here on strike, I could be back at work.' NHS leaders are urging the public to keep coming forward for care during five-day walkout and to turn up for appointments unless informed it has been cancelled. Charities warn industrial action will inevitably lead to cancellations in treatment and negatively impact patients, particularly those with less survivable cancers like lung, liver, and brain cancer. One person posted on social media site X - formerly Twitter - told how his elderly mum's appointment for today had been postponed He said: 'She's been waiting 18 months in agony and unable to walk. Is it in your code of ethics for her to be lying in pain until the new appt in February? I'd sack the lot of you… I tell you what if you don't like it go and get another job, stop being so cruel to people in desperate need of help, who have no quality of life while waiting for care.' It comes on the day other NHS workers followed resident doctors in rejecting the Government's pay deal, in a move that could lead to strikes further down the line. The GMB union said its thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, voted by 67% against the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. It has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, added: "We await his reply with interest." The GMB represents about 50,000 health workers including 20,000 in the ambulance service.
Daily Mail
25-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The TRUTH about resident doctors' pay and their eye-watering demands for up to £20,000 extra a year - ahead of 5-day NHS strike
Striking NHS doctors are wielding misleading statistics to justify their eye-watering pay demands, analysis suggests. In pursuit of salary hikes worth up to £20,000, resident doctors will bring hospitals to a standstill from Friday as they walkout for five consecutive days. Militant union bosses orchestrating the carnage claim the medics – previously known as junior doctors – need a rise worth in excess of 29 per cent to make up for 17 years of 'pay erosion'. This is on top of the average 28.9 per cent awarded to resident doctors over the last three years, including an inflation-busting hike this year of 5.4 per cent – the most generous in the public sector. British Medical Association (BMA) bosses argue this is not enough. Health Secretary Wes Streeting blasted the BMA's strike action, calling it 'shockingly irresponsible' and insisting he will not budge on pay. The Government claims the average full-time basic pay of a resident doctor now sits at £54,300. This is up from around £42,000 in 2022/23. If the BMA's demands are met, their average basic salary would exceed £70,000 per year. Compared with 2024/25 pay packets, this would give the most senior resident doctors an extra £20,000. Ministers are still seeking a deal to avert more strike chaos, which could see doctors have some of their student loan debt wiped off to appease them. Resident doctors have taken industrial action 11 times since initial negotiations began in 2022. Campaign materials pushed out by the BMA say pay erosion equates to 21 per cent below inflation since 2008/09. On its website, the union writes: 'Put another way, resident doctors are still working a fifth of their time for free.' However, this sum is calculated against the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation measure. Tracking resident doctors' salary against the Consumer Price Index (CPI) instead, the Nuffield Trust found they are just 4.7 per cent below since 2008. Addressing this erosion would amount to an average lift of around five per cent. This would amount to an average pay boost of below £3,000. When measured against CPI levels since 2015/16, the Nuffield Trust revealed resident doctors have actually had a 7.9 per cent pay increase. Government sources have criticised the BMA's use of RPI in its calculations because it overstates inflation. It was, for this reason, the statistics watchdog downgraded RPI as an official national measure in 2013. Since then, CPI and CPIH (CPI including housing costs) have been the accepted standards for calculating inflation. MailOnline understands the Government will phase out its use by the end of the decade. Grilled about the pay of other NHS staff, Mr Streeting told MPs that cash is 'finite'. He said: 'These sorts of choices and trade-offs about resources are precisely why I asked BMA resident doctors to understand why, having received a 28.9 per cent pay rise from this government in the last year, they ought to remember the responsibility that I have, and they also have to some of their lower paid colleagues. 'Resources are finite, and it is important that I act in the interests of all NHS staff and have particular concern for those who work extremely hard but are not properly rewarded.' However, the BMA has defended its use of RPI, arguing it is a more accurate metric for everyday people. A BMA spokesperson said: 'RPI is a measure which we, in line with the wider trade union movement, believe best reflects the real life experience of working people in the UK, and which the Government continues to use when it suits. 'For one thing, RPI sets student loan repayments. In a country where new doctors often have student debts of over £100,000 this is a hefty chunk of their living costs. 'Car taxes and train fare caps are also set by RPI, making up a huge part of the costs of many doctors finding themselves with long commuting distances as they get moved around the country on rotations. 'These moves also mean the need to find housing, a cost which itself feeds back into the calculations of RPI and make it even more relevant to the life of a working doctor.' MailOnline analysis shows that basic full-time equivalent (FTE) pay packets for all but one group of resident doctors has risen over the past 15 years against CPIH. Just foundation year 2 (FY2) doctors have seen a pay erosion when looking at the figures this way. FY1, core training and speciality registrar doctors' salaries were 1.1, 6.5 and 1.7 per cent higher, respectively, in March 2025 than August 2010, when compared with CPIH inflation. Our calculations only include basic pay, so the approximate one-quarter of doctors' salaries which is additional pay – such as overtime and uplifts for unsocial hours – is not included. In September, BMA members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3 per cent on average over two years to end a swathe of strike action plaguing the previous Tory government. The 2025/26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4 per cent uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis'. This worked out as an average pay rise of 5.4 per cent, totalling 28.9 per cent over the three years. However, this did not prove enough to ward off further strike action, with BMA members overwhelmingly voting in favour of fresh action over the offer. Nearly 90 per cent of 30,000 doctors (55 per cent turnout) voted to walk out. A spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care told MailOnline: 'Resident doctors have seen the biggest pay rises in the public sector two years in a row thanks to this government, and a pay increase of 28.9 per cent across three years. 'Public support for resident doctors strikes has collapsed and the majority of BMA resident doctors did not even vote for these strikes.' Nuffield Trust researcher Lucina Rolewicz said: 'You can paint a very different picture of real-terms changes to resident doctors' pay packets over time, depending on the methods you use. 'It's important to look at a range of baseline years to get a more complete understanding of what has happened to pay. For example, if you look at what's changed since 2008, pay erosion appears much worse than if you looked at the changes since 2015 in isolation. 'Against the CPI measure of inflation, this can make the difference of showing a 4.7 per cent fall in pay since 2008 or a 7.9 per cent increase since 2015. 'Comparing changes to pay at the same point in time, using different measures of inflation, also results in very different answers. For instance, resident doctor pay has fallen by 4.7 per cent since 2008 against CPI, but has decreased by 17.9 per cent over the same period when using RPI. 'Given the importance of the debate for doctors, their colleagues, patients and taxpayers, it is crucial that we look at all the ways that pay can be seen to have changed.' It comes after a report yesterday warned the looming strikes could cause 250,000 appointments to be cancelled or postponed this month. The walkouts may also cost the NHS £87million in staffing cover, the Policy Exchange think-tank said. Charities have expressed their 'deep concern' at the action and warned it will cause 'significant distress, pain and worsening health for patients'. Consultants will be able to cash-in by charging hospitals inflated rates of up to £2,504 a shift to cover for absent junior colleagues, depleting them of funds that could have been used to buy new scanners, repair buildings or deliver more procedures. Resident doctors have qualified from medical school but remain in clinical training for up to eight years. They work under the supervision of senior doctors during their on-the-job experience. Previous strikes by junior doctors led to the deaths of at least five patients, an audit revealed last week. NHS leaders have warned even 'more lives could be put at risk' during next week's five-day full walkout.
