The PDA welcomes the announcement from Health Minister Mike Nesbitt that pay parity is to be restored for health service staff in Northern Ireland.
The minister’s statement issued on 6 November was:
“The Executive has today given me approval to deliver pay parity for health service staff, which was our original intention and what unions and professional bodies have been asking for and is their right.
“This would restore pay parity with the percentage uplifts as recommended by pay review bodies being back dated in full to 1 April 2025. I would expect our HSC workforce to receive their uplift and back pay in their February 2026 pay packets.
“In addition, and to ensure that issue of late payment of pay awards will never happen again, I can confirm that as Health Minister I am committed to ensuring future pay awards are prioritised in my budget allocation at the start of the financial year and adjusted as necessary to ensure parity.
The PDA welcomes this announcement, including the commitment that the scenario of late payment will not reoccur. The PDA believe that pharmacists and other NHS staff should see pay increases implemented ASAP after being agreed as the norm, and will support any effort to avoid delays to future settlements being implemented.
While this announcement refers to the 2025-26 pay review, the PDA and other health unions are already engaged in discussion about the 2026-27 review. Once the government’s formal reaction to the 2026-27 PRB recommendation is known the PDA will formally be asking members employed in the NHS what response they wish to make.
Those pharmacists who are not yet union members are therefore encouraged to join the PDA without delay. All members are encouraged to then respond to surveys and/or ballots that may be issued to gauge pharmacists’ opinion in due course, in order that the PDA can represent the position of the majority and the strength of that mandate.
In the meantime, existing PDA members should continue to share their views on pay and workload with their local workplace PDA rep. If there is no local PDA rep yet in place at an employer, local members are encouraged to step forward and fill the role as soon as they are able to do so. Pharmacists who wish to find out more about becoming a PDA Rep should please email [email protected]. Free training and support will be given for this role.
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