UK government has provided nurses and other NHS workers in England a three percent pay rise ‘in recognition of unique impact of the pandemic’ on staff.

The pay raise comes after heavily criticized proposals made by the Department for Health and Social Care in March said only a rise of one percent was affordable.

But some health unions opposed the new raise saying it does not reflect the sacrifices made by staff. They point out the NHS workforce has been under unprecedented pressure.

The government has announced in November that rise in pay for healthcare workers follows a public sector pay freeze for 2021-22, with exceptions made for those on salaries under £24,000 and NHS staff.

The three percent pay rise is for most NHS staff including nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs and is backdated to April 2021.

According to government calculations for the average nurse, this will mean an additional £1,000 a year, while many porters and cleaners will receive around £540.