Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in Wales, including teachers and NHS workers, are set for above-inflation pay awards, the Welsh Government has announced.

NHS staff, teachers and public sector workers in many devolved services will receive pay rises of between 5% and 6% in 2024/2025.

The announcement comes as the Welsh Government has accepted the recommendations from independent pay review bodies in full.

Public sector pay rises in Wales

This pay rise announcement means:

  • Teachers will receive a 5.5% award
  • NHS staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions will also get a 5.5% rise
  • Doctors and dentists, including GPs and salaried GPs, will receive a 6% pay award, with an additional £1,000 for junior doctors

The Welsh Government has also agreed up to an average 5% award for civil servants and for staff at a number of other public bodies, including Natural Resources Wales and the Development Bank of Wales.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “People across Wales have told us over the summer that public sector workers are the backbone of the services we all rely on – from the nurses in our NHS to teachers in classrooms across Wales.

“They want them to be fairly rewarded for the vital work they do. These pay awards reflect how we value them and respect their hard work.

“But the public has also been clear they want to see improvements in public services – especially in the NHS and education.

“We will work with these services to deliver on what people have told us over the summer listening exercise.”

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Rebecca Evans, the cabinet secretary for finance, added: “We greatly value the hundreds of thousands of people working across the public sector in Wales and the work they do every day. We have worked hard to be able to make this offer.

“We are committed to working in social partnership with trade unions to achieve fair pay settlements which are affordable while also recognising the huge contribution made by public sector workers.”

Doctors welcome pay rise for public sector in Wales

Doctors at the BMA Cymru Wales welcomed the announcement.

Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey, co-chairs of the BMA’s Welsh Junior Doctors Committee, said the pay award was “another step in the right direction to better valuing doctors and restoring our pay”.

“Whilst we will continue to fight for full pay restoration to recover the years of real-terms pay cuts, today’s award does provide some further reversal of that erosion,” they said.

Dr Stephen Kelly, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee, said: “Earlier this year, our members voted to take industrial action over their pay after they were awarded another below-inflation pay award.

“Thanks to weeks of negotiations with the Welsh Government, we were able to reach a fairer settlement, and whilst it didn’t fully restore the real-terms pay lost over the last 15 years, today’s announcement of a 6% pay uplift brings us another step closer to achieving this goal.”

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Independent pay review bodies make recommendations to governments about pay.

Other parts of the public sector in Wales, including local government staff, fire and rescue services and social care are not covered by the independent pay review bodies and their awards are negotiated through a separate process.

A four-week consultation will start on teachers’ pay, with the 5.5% award in line with England.