health – Union Newswire

Health conference: Divided we fall

The debate on Agenda for Change pay merged into terms and conditions as business continued into the afternoon at health conference in Brighton.

Paying to work

First up were a group of motions that explored the various ways in which health workers are losing out financially in the course of their work. This included paying for their own uniforms, DBS checks, paying for hospital parking – with one delegate even saying her employer asked for staff to pay for their key-fobs.

Elsewhere motions discussed out-of-date mileage and subsistence rates with the mover of the mileage motion, Trudy Martin of the SGE, noting that: “HMRC rates haven’t changed since 2011 and workers are paying the price” and that if rates kept up with inflation, it should be 63p a mile, not 45p.”

Meanwhile, a speaker on the motion about inadequate subsistence rates said: “if the £15 dinner allowance had risen in line with inflation from 2004 to 2024, it would be worth around £28 now.”

NHS Bank workers

An NHS staff bank is an entity managed by a trust, or third-party organisation who contract healthcare professionals to take on temporary shifts at hospitals.

Often, those working on bank contracts often have inconsistent pay terms and conditions outside of the Agenda for Change pay framework.

One motion noted that the framework agreement for the 2018 three-year pay deal required the NHS Staff Council to explore the scope for a collective framework agreement on bank and agency workers.

As the mover, Jim Clawson, noted: “That was six years ago.”

Trudy Martin of the SGE added: “Employers are using bank contracts more than ever before, making people take up zero-hour contracts without good terms and conditions.

“While bank contracts may work for some people in specific circumstances, they are often not the most appropriate way to solve the problem.”

The motion called on the SGE to work with the staff council to finally deliver the promised framework agreement to ensure that Trusts treat their bank staff in a fair, consistent and equitable manner.

A shorter working week – better for patients, better for staff

Bryn Webster introduced the next motion, saying: “Reducing the working week with no loss in pay has been a UNISON goal for years.

“And the recent UNISON survey showed that a reduction in the working week was a top priority for members.”

He noted that 45% of NHS staff had felt unwell as a result of work related stress over the last 12 months, and more than 15 million working days were lost due to stress last year.

Jennifer Dutton (pictured, above) a call-handler with North West Ambulance service said: “Our mission statement for this entire conference is one team for patient care and this motion has the chance to do that.

“I regularly see fellow call handlers with red bulls and coffees in their hands, ready to fall asleep at their desks.

“How can my first call on day one possibly be as good as my last call on my tenth day straight? Patient care is at risk and we deserve a break.”

A nurses-only pay spine

The final motion in the section was an emergency motion called Divided we fall – invest in Agenda for Change, don’t destroy it.

It noted that the Department for Health and Social Care recently launched a consultation to “consider the benefits and challenges of a separate pay spine for nursing staff.”

The consultation put forward two options, one keeping nurses on the Agenda for Change job evaluation system, but giving them a different pay spine and the second where nursing staff would be given an entirely different and separate set of terms, conditions and pay and bargaining structures.

Eddie Woolley of the SGE (pictured, top) moved the motion saying: “Both of these options are unacceptable.”

He argued that they are aimed at dividing the NHS workforce weakening them as a result, and that it “could lead to other staff groups asking to be treated differently, which could mean the end of Agenda for Change.

“And let’s remember why we worked for Agenda for Change – it’s about pay and equality, it isn’t perfect. Banding for nurses has never rewarded clinical experience, but we need to remain united not divided, we are one team, we are UNISON.”

The article Health conference: Divided we fall first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Health conference: Divided we fall

The debate on Agenda for Change pay merged into terms and conditions as business continued into the afternoon at health conference in Brighton.

Paying to work

Meanwhile, a speaker on the motion about inadequate subsistence rates said: “if the £15 dinner allowance had risen in line with inflation from 2004 to 2024, it would be worth around £28 now.”

NHS Bank workers

An NHS staff bank is an entity managed by a trust, or third-party organisation who contract healthcare professionals to take on temporary shifts at hospitals.

Often, those working on bank contracts often have inconsistent pay terms and conditions outside of the Agenda for Change pay framework.

One motion noted that the framework agreement for the 2018 three-year pay deal required the NHS Staff Council to explore the scope for a collective framework agreement on bank and agency workers.

As the mover, Jim Clawson, noted: “That was six years ago.”

Trudy Martin of the SGE added: “Employers are using bank contracts more than ever before, making people take up zero-hour contracts without good terms and conditions.

“While bank contracts may work for some people in specific circumstances, they are often not the most appropriate way to solve the problem.”

A shorter working week – better for patients, better for staff

Bryn Webster introduced the next motion, saying: “Reducing the working week with no loss in pay has been a UNISON goal for years.

“And the recent UNISON survey showed that a reduction in the working week was a top priority for members.”

He noted that 45% of NHS staff had felt unwell as a result of work related stress over the last 12 months, and more than 15 million working days were lost due to stress last year.

“I regularly see fellow call handlers with red bulls and coffees in their hands, ready to fall asleep at their desks.

“How can my first call on day one possibly be as good as my last call on my tenth day straight? Patient care is at risk and we deserve a break.”

A nurses-only pay spine

The final motion in the section was an emergency motion called Divided we fall – invest in Agenda for Change, don’t destroy it.

It noted that the Department for Health and Social Care recently launched a consultation to “consider the benefits and challenges of a separate pay spine for nursing staff.”

Eddie Woolley of the SGE (pictured, top) moved the motion saying: “Both of these options are unacceptable.”

The article Health conference: Divided we fall first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Health: ‘The government treats us like April fools’ on pay

Business at health conference turned to pay on Tuesday morning.

First, conference discussed an emergency motion on NHS pay 2024-25. The motion pointed out that once again, the government has failed to conduct annual pay reviews in a timely fashion.

Moving the motion, James Anthony of the SGE said: “Like clockwork, in April, everything goes up. Bills council tax, everything. Except, like clockwork, NHS pay.

“Once again the government treats us like April fools.”

He highlighted that Band two members are now paid just one penny above the minimum wage: “A whacking 55p below the real living wage.”

The motion noted the health SGE’s decision to launch a pro-active formal consultation in England to gauge the strength of feeling of members.

James told delegates: “This consultation is the most important thing we’re going to do when we come back from conference – so let’s go back and talk about pay.”

Gillian Hobson from the North West region followed, telling delegates: “This year we need to send a clear message: let nothing go. Detriment is not on the table and we will not accept damage to any of our Ts & Cs.

“No more delays, a proper pay rise, proper rebanding, a shorter working week. Let nothing go.”

Once bitten twice shy – the fight for pay parity

Continuing on the theme of government inaction, conference heard that health workers in Northern Ireland have still not received the 2023 Agenda for Change pay award.

Stephanie Greenwood, moving a motion on the fight for pay parity for Northern Ireland region, asked her NI regional colleagues to stand from their seats in the hall.

Referencing the continued strike action across Northern Ireland health over the last year, she said: “These are some of the individuals who led thousands of colleagues out of their workplaces day after day in bitter conditions. Look them in the eye and support them.”

She warned delegates, “Never again leave anyone behind,” asking conference to vote to ensure that, in future pay rounds, this scenario will not be repeated and that parity for Northern Ireland is built into future negotiations.

The NHS must become a Real Living Wage Employer

The final motion of the morning saw conference call for the NHS to become a real living wage employer.

Maria Demitri moved the motion for North West Anglia Hospitals. She said: “The NHS in England employs 1.7m people, it is one of the worlds biggest employers.”

The motion read that more and more low paid staff in the NHS are earning a wage that is less than the Real Living Wage of £12.00 an hour. Ms Demitri also noted that many of those employees are paid only a penny more than the minimum wage, if they are on band 2.

She said: “Many of these workers increasingly leaving the NHS because they can earn more elsewhere.”

She argued it used to be difficult to get a job in many jobs in the NHS, from healthcare assistant, administrator, porter to catering assistant. But, because of chronic low pay there are now thousands of vacancies in these roles across the NHS as workers search elsewhere for higher paid jobs in supermarkets and call centres.

The article Health: ‘The government treats us like April fools’ on pay first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Health: ‘The government treats us like April fools’ on pay

Business at health conference turned to pay on Tuesday morning.

First, conference discussed an emergency motion on NHS pay 2024-25. The motion pointed out that once again, the government has failed to conduct annual pay reviews in a timely fashion.

Moving the motion, James Anthony of the SGE said: “Like clockwork, in April, everything goes up. Bills council tax, everything. Except, like clockwork, NHS pay.

“Once again the government treats us like April fools.”

He highlighted that Band two members are now paid just one penny above the minimum wage: “A whacking 55p below the real living wage.”

The motion noted the health SGE’s decision to launch a pro-active formal consultation in England to gauge the strength of feeling of members.

James told delegates: “This consultation is the most important thing we’re going to do when we come back from conference – so let’s go back and talk about pay.”

“No more delays, a proper pay rise, proper rebanding, a shorter working week. Let nothing go.”

Once bitten twice shy – the fight for pay parity

Continuing on the theme of government inaction, conference heard that health workers in Northern Ireland have still not received the 2023 Agenda for Change pay award.

Stephanie Greenwood, moving a motion on the fight for pay parity for Northern Ireland region, asked her NI regional colleagues to stand from their seats in the hall.

The NHS must become a Real Living Wage Employer

The final motion of the morning saw conference call for the NHS to become a real living wage employer.

Maria Demitri moved the motion for North West Anglia Hospitals. She said: “The NHS in England employs 1.7m people, it is one of the worlds biggest employers.”

She said: “Many of these workers increasingly leaving the NHS because they can earn more elsewhere.”

The article Health: ‘The government treats us like April fools’ on pay first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Conference stands with Palestinian health workers

Health conference reopened in Brighton yesterday afternoon with a speech from campaigns and advocacy advisor for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), Richard Pyle (pictured, below).

Detailing the harrowing situation on the ground in Gaza, he opened saying: “2024 marks 40 years since the founding of MAP – we had hoped to celebrate the organisation’s achievements.”

Instead, the organisation is responding to one of the gravest situations Palestinians have ever faced.

He told delegates that over 33,000 Palestinians had died in the conflict with over 75,000 injured, asking: “What do we say when the number of children killed in Gaza is higher than the number of children killed in wars around the world over the last four years?

“The fact is, there are no words, and even if there were, the people of Gaza don’t need words, they need action.”

He went on to warn that without the urgent opening of more aid routes, and the co-operation of those controlling the flow of aid into the country, the situation would become much worse.

Mr Pyle said: “One in six children under the age of 2 in the north [of Gaza] is now acutely malnourished. This is the fastest decline in a population’s nourishment ever recorded. In other words, Gaza’s children are being starved faster than ever seen anywhere in the world.

“The official assessment tells us that this famine will probably move from the north to the south of Gaza by summer unless action is taken now, not just to get aid in but to stop the violence that prevents that aid being distributed.

“People in Gaza are starving, they need 500 trucks of aid a day, at least.”

He went on to detail several horrifying instances of MAP colleagues and their families who have been injured and killed during the conflict, saying: “Last week’s attack is just the latest evidence of why we cannot mount a proper humanitarian response that will save lives until there is a ceasefire.”

Mr Pyle continued that, not only were aid workers risking their lives, but health workers in Gaza were severely at risk: “484 healthcare workers have been killed, this is more than the total number of healthcare worker deaths recorded across all countries in conflict across 2021 and 2022.”

He concluded his speech by thanking UNISON for the continued support, saying: “This is the biggest humanitarian response in MAP’s history. Thanks to the extraordinary groundswell of support from people in 160 countries across the world, we’ve been able to deliver millions of dollars of medical supplies, hygiene kits, dignity kits and warm clothes.

“I would like to say a special thank you to UNISON. Branches up and down the country have donated over £30,000 to MAP over the last few months and we are so grateful for your generosity and solidarity, your voice and your activism, it makes such a difference.”

Following the speech, Wilma Brown, chair of the health SGE, reaffirmed UNISON’s commitment to a ceasefire saying: “We urge them [the UK government], again, to suspend the arms trade and the UK Israel trade agreement until there is a ceasefire, full access to humanitarian aid and human rights are respected.

“UNISON was one of the first unions to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire which remains the only hope for the people of Gaza and we will continue to demand a ceasefire now until the guns and bombs fall silent.

“We have repeatedly condemned the appalling attack by Hamas which claimed the lives of over 100 civilians and continue to call for the immediate and safe release of those who have been taken hostage.

“We condemn the appalling antisemitism and islamophobia and have stood in recent months against those who seek to divide our communities. We demand an end to the occupation and the blockade and an internationally supported political solution that leads to peace, justice, and a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.”

After the speech and statement conference stood in solidarity with hospital and health workers in Palestine (pictured, top).

The article Conference stands with Palestinian health workers first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Conference stands with Palestinian health workers

Health conference reopened in Brighton yesterday afternoon with a speech from campaigns and advocacy advisor for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), Richard Pyle (pictured, below).

Detailing the harrowing situation on the ground in Gaza, he opened saying: “2024 marks 40 years since the founding of MAP – we had hoped to celebrate the organisation’s achievements.”

Instead, the organisation is responding to one of the gravest situations Palestinians have ever faced.

“The fact is, there are no words, and even if there were, the people of Gaza don’t need words, they need action.”

He went on to warn that without the urgent opening of more aid routes, and the co-operation of those controlling the flow of aid into the country, the situation would become much worse.

“People in Gaza are starving, they need 500 trucks of aid a day, at least.”

After the speech and statement conference stood in solidarity with hospital and health workers in Palestine (pictured, top).

The article Conference stands with Palestinian health workers first appeared on the UNISON National site.

A new deal for health staff

Tuesday afternoon at health conference saw a group of motions on professional and occupational issues.

Top on the agenda was a motion calling for ‘A new deal for healthcare assistants’. It called on the health SGE to continue to build on the work of the highly successful Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign.

The campaign focusses on winning significant sums of pack pay for members by fighting for rebanding for healthcare assistants (HCAs) at a local level.

The motion, moved by Annette Heslop, calls for continued campaigning for proper career progression opportunities, better recognition and lobbying for a strategy to professionalise and regulate HCAs.

Ms Heslop said: “Conference, we are the union of HCA’s. Where others talk, we deliver. Across the UK, thousands of HCA’s have taken industrial action to get rebanding.”

But that is not the end of the campaign, she continued: “Now, band 2 health workers [as many HCAs are] are paid only 1 penny above the minimum wage. That is a disgrace. It is time for a new deal for HCAs.”

A number of speakers told conference stories of their successful rebanding campaigns, including Jackie Lewis from Northern Care Alliance who said their campaign had now seen “a total of 2,688 people entitled to backpay, going back as far as April 2018.

“But that’s only the start of it. There’s so much work you can do from this one campaign – the world’s our oyster.”

A charter for change for admin staff

Conference then turned its attention from HCAs to admin staff, and a motion on the new Admin Charter for Change which has just been launched.

Moving the motion, Maura Price from Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust asked: “What do people see when they think of NHS staff?

“It’s usually nurses, doctors, paramedics and physios. They don’t think of porters, cleaners and least of all admin staff.

“In 2020/21 NHS England launched their people plan. The plan includes seven promises which employers have endorsed. Point one reads they want to make the NHS a place where all employees feel they belong.”

Speaking as an admin worker, she told conference: “The question is… do we feel like we belong?”

She called on delegates to support their admin colleagues and to support the launch of the charter and to take it to their employers.

The charter sets out actions which employers can take to ensure that opportunities for career development and adequate training are on offer for all administrative and clerical support staff.

Katie Hodgson of the health SGE also spoke on the motion. She said she was recently on the judging panel for the first One Team Awards where all 700 entries were operational staff.

“Of the hundreds of nominations we received,” she said, “there were loads of admin workers going above and beyond making the lives of their colleagues that little bit easier.”

She continued that she knew “all too well what it feels like to be undervalued and taken for granted”, arguing that it was vital that employers examine whether job descriptions are up to date and whether staff are paid appropriately for the jobs that they do.

Supporting newly qualified paramedics

A motion later in the afternoon covered how the union can best support newly qualified paramedics.

It highlighted the vital role UNISON played in negotiating agreement that all paramedics be moved to a band 6 in 2016. As part of this agreement the newly qualified paramedic (NQP) programme was formed.

It was designed to provide structure to properly integrate and support NQPs into the ambulance service workplace and allowing them time to apply their knowledge.

Peter Stevenson branch secretary of South East Coast Ambulance Service moved the motion saying: “At the time we were promised a preceptorship which would provide NQPs strong support. But we know that the quality and content of induction processes varies massively across trusts.”

He added that it takes “almost 10 years from starting as a student to being a fully qualified paramedic at the top of their band 6”.

The motion argues that NQPs ‘are being short changed, and employers haven’t kept to their end of the bargain’, concluding that it’s time for employers to deliver the NQP programme as it was intended and accept that paramedics should be paid band 6 from the point of registration.

Another speaker, Matt Wilson, a paramedic from West Midlands ambulance branch, said: “The reality is that you could be going to any job as soon as you qualify, whether you’ve been there two years or 20 years. With that lack of support it shouldn’t be a surprise that our turnover is as high as it is.”

He continued: “As a young member, this falls predominantly on our young members, and I think this campaign is a fantastic opportunity to engage with them.

“Members want meaningful change, and this campaign is a great opportunity to show our young members that the way we make change is by effective union organising.”

The article A new deal for health staff first appeared on the UNISON National site.