“I’m not so sure this is really nice, instead this is going to make us more angry and confidence is going to go in the Government.
“The contribution from nurses and health workers during the pandemic has been enormous. People have died. My colleagues died. This is really discouraging news.”
Unison said it was pleased the Government had moved from its initial recommendation of a one per cent pay rise, but added that staff deserved more.
General secretary Christina McAnea said the pay award was "an improvement" on the Government's "earlier, miserly one per cent proposal".
She added: "But the increase falls short of what NHS staff deserve after the past 16 months. It's less than the wage rise given to Scottish health colleagues and not enough to protect the NHS.
"Porters, cleaners, nurses, paramedics and other health workers have waited for months for what they hoped would be a fair deal.
"Ministers could have paid up last year if they really valued the NHS. Instead, staff have been made to hang on until the summer - long after their wage rise was due."
Pat Cullen, interim general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "After a shambolic day, comes a shambolic announcement.
“When the Treasury expects inflation to be 3.7 per cent, ministers are knowingly cutting pay for an experienced nurse by over £200 in real-terms.
"Hospitals and other parts of the NHS are struggling to recruit nurses and healthcare support workers. The Government has been warned that many more are on the verge of leaving. With today's decision, ministers have made it even harder to provide safe care to patients.
"This announcement is light on detail. It must be fully funded with additional monies for the NHS and ringfenced for the workforce bill.”
Shadow health minister Justin Madders said: “Another day, another U-turn, and more chaos and confusion from this Government.
“Once again, this Government has had to row back on a shoddy, ill-thought through position, with their 1% pay rise – a real terms pay cut – rejected by the independent pay body.
“The pay review body has done what ministers could and would not do – recognise that our NHS staff absolutely cannot be given a pay cut.
“After their hypocrisy, applauding NHS workers while trying to cut their pay, the Government must make our NHS and key workers feel supported and valued after all they have done for us.”
