More than 6,000 staff, currently employed on the lowest band of the NHS Agenda for Change salary scale, will be moved up a level and receive payments for the extra duties they have been performing.

The agreement, secured by Unison Cymru with employers and the Welsh government, recognises that the workers have been consistently carrying out clinical roles beyond their job descriptions. It acknowledges that these responsibilities should have been paid at the higher rate (band 3).

Unison encouraged the predominantly female and low-paid workforce to collectively submit formal grievances to their health boards, highlighting the work they had undertaken that would normally have been on a higher grade.

The union called for a Wales-wide solution and healthcare support workers in Swansea Bay added to the pressure on employers by voting for strike action with a huge majority, which ultimately led to their own pay victory.

In response, cabinet secretary for health and social care Jeremy Miles, said: ‘This national approach demonstrates our shared commitment to supporting the NHS workforce and ensuring staff are properly and fairly rewarded for the work they do.

‘This will help ensure job roles align with the appropriate pay bands, supporting fair working conditions for all NHS Wales staff.'