British healthcare workers and the government have reached a pay deal, The I newspaper reported today, a major development after months of strikes at the National Health System (NHS).

The newspaper reported that The deal will end months-long strikes by nurses and ambulance workers. It was not immediately clear if any deal extended to other NHS workers, such as medical trainees and midwives, who also went on strike.

The report follows the upbeat statements by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt earlier today.

The offer includes a lump sum for the current fiscal year and a revised salary proposal for 2023-24, according to the publication. According to the same source, a preliminary agreement is expected to be announced later today.

Any proposal must again be put to a vote among union members representing healthcare workers, who have come under pressure from strikes by nurses, doctors and paramedics for higher wages to deal with rising inflation.

In February, nurses England suspended the strike to start intensive negotiations with the government, while unions representing ambulance workers also suspended planned strikes after agreeing to a new round of negotiations.

The Ministry of Health did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while unions representing workers in various sectors of the national health system they didn’t confirm the deal.

Ahead of reports of the deal, Unite said it expects big moves today. The Unison union, contacted for the report, said negotiations are ongoing.

Hunt, whose public budget presentation yesterday coincided with a strike by half a million Britons, looked optimistic today when asked if a deal with NHS staff was imminent. “I hope so … we had a very productive discussion with the unions, so I hope for the best,” he told the BBC.

Source: APE-MPE-Reuters