The industry leaders say that unless ministers significantly raise the quotes for their "completely unacceptable" 2.8% of NHS employees, nurses should respond to 25% real terms erosion in response to 25% real terms erosion.

Professor Nicola Ranger, Secretary General of the Royal Nursing College, said nurses hope to fully recover their lost income and “expose our teeth” to achieve this goal.

Her comments raised the risk of strikes in the coming months in an interview with The Guardian, with key employees not satisfied with the destruction of NHS care they provide. RCN's annual parliament opened in Liverpool on Monday.

Resident doctors in England (formerly known as junior doctors) have already launched a possible new strike vote after 11 rounds of strikes held in 2023 and 2024, when they were seeking a 35% increase. Their actions earned them a 22% salary increase in the 2023-24 and 24-25 years.

The British Medical Association has warned Health Minister Wes Streeting that they will strike further for six months unless they grow 10% in 2025-26, which he said is unbearable. They hope to return their salary to 2008 levels by 2027, and said “successful actions over the past few years” suggest that strikes will lead to better salary deals.

Rangers cite the strikes of junior doctors and outline similar demand for them - the value of restoring nurse income, which has actually dropped in real sense due to inflation and low wage growth since 2010 - explaining why 518,000 nurses working in the NHS in the UK should receive a 25% salary increase.

"Sales for nursing salaries have been reduced by 25% since 2010. Junior doctors are very clear about compensation recovery. We still believe in that. This is where we start. This is where we start."

“We want to start bringing care (payment) back to where we need it. Junior doctors, they went on 11 strikes. They were very successful in what they did.

“If every nurse in each environment puts down an hour of tools in each situation, the impact would be disastrous. So if we are crucial to patients in each situation, start to value us, start to recognize our value and start paying for our value accordingly. Nursing is undervalued, misunderstood and underpaid.”

When asked what the RCN would do if the government did not grant it a considerable number, the homeless replied: “We will start exposing our teeth and start studying our work.” However, she added: “They don’t want to act; we don’t want to act either.”

Ranger did not specify that the scale of the rise this year is acceptable, and stressed that the league has learned that the loss of revenue recovery of 25% will occur within a few years.

NHS leaders say Ranger's warning shots don't help address the NHS salary issues, especially given the financial issues of the UK service.

Danny Mortimer, CEO of NHS employers, led the NHS compensation negotiation aspect, said: "Things to consider what to do next must be considered. All trade unions, including RCN, must also be considered, rather than seeking dialogue, rather than exploring dialogue to address their long-term aspirations to address their members' long-term aspirations.

“NHS leaders want nurses and all their employees to receive sustainable long-term investments in their salaries, which reflects the key role they play for society and the country. However, such awards need to be affordable.”

He stressed the brutal “reset” budget cuts ordered by the new NHS England CEO Jim Mackey.

Nurse in England went on strike between December 2022 and May 2023 for eight days. They then received a one-time payment of £1,655-3,789 for 2022-23, while their salary rose by 5% in 2023-24.

Given that the government's plan to improve the NHS will fail given the sharp decline in the number of applicants for nurses and the high number of early resignations, unless streets bring significant salaries to nurses to help solve the twins recruiting and retaining problems.

Scotland's ministers provide 8% growth for NHS nurses, midwives and other staff over the next two years, up 4.25% this year, up 3.75% in 2026-27.

The NHS Compensation Review Body (PRB) covers 1.38 million NHS staff to understand the UK-wide changes terms and conditions and has recommended that the minister give them close to 3%, slightly higher than the 2.8% proposed by the government. The salary of doctors and dentists is determined by a separate compensation consulting agency. Ministers are considering how to deal with PRB's recommendations.

To further demonstrate the tensions in NHS salary, Unison, a union representing thousands of employees, is consulting members in England and Wales, preparing to strike if the 2025-26 salary rewards “failed to keep up with the rising cost of living”.

A government spokesman said: “The government inherited a broken NHS with an overworked, underrated and under-moralized workforce. We place great emphasis on the work of talented nurses and midwives, and through our change program, we are rebuilding the NHS for the benefit of patients and employees and ensuring that care remains an attractive career option.

“One of the first actions of the government is to grant nurses the above inflationary salary increase for the first time in years, as we recognize that their salary has been hit in the last few years. We are carefully considering the recommendations of the NHS Payroll Review Agency and update them as soon as possible.”