Category: CQC

Movement on pay needed to avoid delays and cancellations of CQC inspections, says UNISON

Staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will strike today (Tuesday) in their ongoing dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Tuesday)

Employees represented by UNISON, including those working in inspection teams, call centres and data analysis, will walk out along with colleagues belonging to PCS and Unite.

There will be severely reduced capacity at call centres to deal with reports from the public about serious concerns, emergency inspections may not take place and planned visits may be delayed or cancelled, says UNISON. The CQC is already under strain because of the huge demand on its services, the union warns.

Last month, CQC staff started a continuous work to rule that is due to continue until September. This means they only worked the hours for which they are paid, refuse overtime and take all their breaks in full.

UNISON says staff have been given an inadequate pay rise, despite having to work extra hours because of their excessive workloads. The situation has been worsened by growing vacancy levels as staff desert the commission for better-paid jobs, adds the union.

Employees voted to strike after they received a pay increase of between 2.75% and 3.5%. They were also given a one-off payment of £100 or £150 in December, depending on their salary grade.

UNISON national officer Matthew Egan said: “Without CQC staff, all sorts of abuses, malpractice and neglect would go unnoticed in health and care services.

“The strike will have an inevitable impact on the commission’s work with delays and cancellations to inspections, worsening the huge backlog. Without government intervention the dispute could escalate and drag on for months.

“Wage levels at the commission simply don’t reflect its essential work that makes a real difference to the care and treatment of huge numbers of people. Improving pay will make a real difference in stemming the staff exodus.

“The CQC has to think again about this substandard pay award and has to be allowed to negotiate with unions directly to avoid further disruption.”

Note to editors:
– In March 2023, more than 700 workers represented by UNISON took part in a ballot in which 73% voted to strike and 92% backed action short of a strike.
– Staff will be at picket lines at the following CQC locations:
Newcastle – Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4PA (9am to noon)
Nottingham – Seaton House, City Link, Nottingham, NG2 4LA (9am onwards)
Manchester – City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, (Piccadilly Gardens entrance), Manchester, M1 4BT (8.30am onwards)

– UNISON is among five unions with mandates for industrial action. Prospect have a mandate for action short of strike only and PCS a mandate for strike. UNISON, Unite and the RCN have mandates for both. But only UNISON, Unite and PCS are on strike on 2nd May.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 865794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Movement on pay needed to avoid delays and cancellations of CQC inspections, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care Quality Commission staff to strike in escalation of pay row, says UNISON

Hundreds of staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are to strike for one day in a dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Thursday).

Staff represented by UNISON, including those working in inspection teams, call centres and data analysis, will be striking on Tuesday 2 May. Workers represented by the PCS and Unite will also be on strike on the same day.

CQC employees started a continuous work to rule on Monday 17 April 2023. This means they are only working the hours they are paid for, not doing overtime and talking all the breaks they are entitled to until September 2023.

UNISON balloted workers after employees received an imposed pay increase of between 2.75% and 3.5%. They also received a one-off payment of £100 or £150 depending on their salary grade last December 2022.

CQC staff regulate registered health and social care services across England including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries to ensure care is delivered safely.

They carry out planned, as well as urgent inspections following safeguarding concerns raised by the public or workers through the CQC’s call centre.

But low pay and huge workloads have left staff with no option but to leave the CQC for better paid jobs elsewhere, says UNISON.

The union says it expects that some CQC services will be affected as a result of the strike.

Urgent inspections to investigate issues raised before the action will be delayed until after the strike. People may also struggle to get through to the call centre on strike day, says UNISON.

The CQC currently isn’t able to directly negotiate pay settlements with unions as it is bound by civil service pay guidelines and rules.

UNISON says CQC workers want their senior leadership to put more pressure on the government. They would then get approval by ministers to negotiate an improved pay settlement for staff, according to the union.

UNISON national officer Matthew Egan said: “CQC employees do a vital job to ensure that patients, care home residents and others in need of support receive safe care.

“It’s a huge deal that CQC workers have decided to strike. Employees are reluctant to take action but many are struggling. Their wages have failed to keep up with the rising cost of living.

“CQC workers are critical in ensuring that registered providers and services deliver care safely. The government must recognise their contribution and let the employer reward them accordingly to limit disruptions.”

Note to editors:
– In March 2023, more than 700 workers represented by UNISON took part in a ballot in which 73% voted to strike and 92% for action short of a strike.
– UNISON is among five unions that have asked their CQC members to vote for industrial action. PCS, Prospect, the Royal College of Nursing and Unite are the others.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Care Quality Commission staff to strike in escalation of pay row, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care Quality Commission staff will work to rule over pay, says UNISON  

Hundreds of staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are to work to rule from next week in a dispute over pay, says their union UNISON today (Friday). 

CQC staff, who belong to UNISON, including inspectors of health and social care organisations, workers in call centres and data analysts, will be among those taking action short of a strike from Monday (17 April).

CQC employees will do no more than the minimum required under their job contracts, says UNISON. This includes only working the hours they are paid for, not doing overtime and taking all the breaks to which they are entitled. 

In March, more than 700 workers represented by UNISON took part in a ballot in which 73% voted to strike and 92% for action short of a strike.

The ballot was held because the union was unhappy with a pay increase of between 2.75% and 3.5%, received last December. Employees also received a one-off payment of £100 or £150 depending on their salary grade.

UNISON is among five unions that have asked their members to vote for industrial action. PCS, Prospect, the Royal College of Nursing and Unite are the others. 

CQC staff regulate health and social care services across England including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries to ensure care is delivered safely. 

The health and social care regulator is facing a staffing crisis because of low pay, says UNISON. As workers quit for better wages elsewhere, staff left behind are under further pressure to take on the extra workload, adds the union.

The CQC is bound by civil service pay guidelines and rules, so does not have the freedom currently to negotiate pay settlements with unions.

UNISON is calling for this to be changed so managers can agree improved wage offers for staff. 

UNISON national officer Matthew Egan said: “The fact so many CQC staff voted for action speaks volumes. They’re woefully underpaid and undervalued, and deserve much better.  

“For a decade, they’ve seen their wages falling behind inflation. Now the cost-of-living crisis is leaving many struggling. 

“CQC workers do a vital job to make sure safe care is delivered. This needs to be recognised by the government with a fair pay increase.”  

Note to editors: 
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:     
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk 
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk 

The article Care Quality Commission staff will work to rule over pay, says UNISON   first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care Quality Commission staff vote to strike over pay, says UNISON

Staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have voted to take strike action over pay, says their union UNISON today (Tuesday).

More than 700 workers were balloted by UNISON, including those in the organisation’s health and social care teams and call centres, along with clerical staff and data analysts.

CQC staff regulate health and social care bodies across England including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries ensuring the safe delivery of services.

Of those who took part in the UNISON vote, 73% opted to strike and 92% for action short of a strike. This means, for example, that staff would only work to their contracts, refusing to do any overtime.

UNISON is one of five unions so unhappy at the pay award imposed this year (2022/23) they decided to ask their members to vote for industrial action.

The five – UNISON, PCS, Prospect, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unite – all have strike votes that have either already closed or are about to.

Last December CQC staff were given a pay increase of between 2.75% and 3.5%. The employees also received a one-off payment of either £100 or £150, depending on their grade.

Low or no wage increases over many years, due to the government’s public sector pay restraint, have forced increasing numbers of staff to quit the health and social care regulator. This has left the CQC struggling to fill vacancies, putting the remaining workforce under mounting pressure, says UNISON.

UNISON national officer Matthew Egan said: “CQC staff have had to put up with their pay rising at a much lower rate than inflation for more than a decade.

“Had wages kept pace with prices, employees at CQC would be earning around a quarter more than they are currently.

“Despite doing incredibly important work, staff have endured mounting financial hardship and watched as colleagues have departed for better paid work elsewhere. It’s not hard to see why so many have voted to strike.

“Ministers must give CQC the freedom to negotiate its own pay settlements with unions and allow managers to come back with a much better offer for staff.

“CQC workers take pride in their jobs but have been taken for granted for too long. They earn significantly less than staff doing comparable jobs at organisations like NHS England, Ofsted and the Nursing & Midwifery Council.

“This is despite CQC not relying on government funding. With health and care systems under increasing pressure, it’s time the government recognised the importance of the CQC and its staff and took steps to make sure they’re paid fairly.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Care Quality Commission staff vote to strike over pay, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care Quality Commission staff balloted over strike action

Staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have begun voting for industrial action over pay, say unions today (Friday).

Five unions – UNISON, PCS, Prospect, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unite – are balloting workers who ?inspect, monitor and regulate hospitals, care homes, GP ?practices and dental surgeries, as well as ambulance and mental health services.

The UNISON and PCS strike ballots began last month, and the others open over the coming weeks. Voting ends either later this month or in early March.*

A pay claim for an above-inflation pay rise was submitted by the unions last summer. Since then, the cost of living has soared, say the unions.

In December, the CQC imposed an increase of between just 2.75% and 3.5%, on staff, along with a one-off payment of either £100 or £150. The five unions say this amounts to a major cut in salary. They add that since 2010, wages have fallen by as much as a quarter in real terms.

UNISON national officer Matt Egan said: “CQC staff play a vital role keeping patients and anyone needing wider health and social care support safe. But their pay has been chipped away year after year. It’s time they got a decent pay rise, and were recognised for their work, not undervalued and undermined.”

Prospect deputy general secretary Garry Graham said: “The regulator needs to be able to recruit and retain skilled staff to maintain high standards and safety in health and social care. That means paying a decent wage. Yet another real-terms pay cut is simply unacceptable.”

RCN national officer Barry Hutchinson said: “The skills and expertise of nursing staff are integral to providing safe and effective care in every health and social care environment. The real-terms pay cuts experienced by staff responsible for regulating and maintaining care standards at CQC are unacceptable and put safe care at risk.”

Unite national officer Jacalyn Williams said: “CQC workers perform a crucial role ensuring patients and those in need of care are kept safe and the services they receive are running properly. Instead of being recognised for this, they have been forced to shoulder years of pay cuts. They need a proper pay rise now.”

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This award has been imposed by the government and after 12 years of pay cuts in real terms, and the increasing cost of living, there’s no choice but to stand up to the increasing damage being done to the public sector, its services and workers.”

Notes to editors:
–*The ballot opening and closing dates are:
UNISON: Thursday 26 January to Thursday 2 March 2023
PCS: Monday 16 January to Monday 27 February 2023
Prospect: Wednesday 1 February to Friday 24 February 2023
RCN: Wednesday 8 February to Wednesday 8 March 2023
UNITE: Dates to be confirmed

Media contacts:
UNISON – Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
PCS – Tim Lezard M: 07810 641459 E: press@pcs.org.uk
Prospect – Graham Moonie M: 07889 337719 E: graham.moonie@prospect.org.uk
RCN – Nick Spears M: 020 7647 3633 E: mediateamhq@rcn.org.uk
Unite – Ryan Fletcher M: 07849 090215 E: Ryan.Fletcher@unitetheunion.org

The article Care Quality Commission staff balloted over strike action first appeared on the UNISON National site.