Category: NHS pay rise

Health workers to decide whether to take NHS wage offer or risk lengthy pay review body wait 

A pay consultation involving 280,000 health workers across England, who belong to UNISON, opens today (Tuesday).

During the consultation exercise, UNISON is encouraging NHS staff to accept the offer, which resulted from pay talks held with unions, employers and ministers earlier this month. The vote closes on Friday 14 April.

The offer covers two pay years – a one-off amount for 2022/23 and a 5% wage rise (10.4% for the lowest paid) for 2023/24.

The non-consolidated payment for this year is worth between £1,655 and £3,789 to health workers in England. This is equal to 8.2% for the lowest paid and around 6% for nurses, midwives and other colleagues on band 5 of Agenda for Change. It’s in addition to the £1,400 NHS staff received for 2022/23 last September.

The 2023/24 wage rise is worth at least £1,065 and would raise the lowest hourly rate in the NHS in England to £11.45 an hour, or £22,383 a year.

Commenting on the pay consultation, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “After months of the government refusing to discuss pay, strike action by health workers was successful in getting unions into the room for talks. Following days of tough negotiations, there’s now an offer to consider.

“It’s more than ministers ever wanted to invest in pay this year or next, though not as much as health workers deserve.

“The offer is the best to be achieved through negotiation. It gives NHS staff an alternative to losing more pay through strike action. That’s why UNISON is recommending health workers accept.

“But unlike the usual NHS pay rise, which is implemented regardless of staff views, this offer is conditional. Health workers will only get the lump sum if their unions vote to accept.

“A vote to reject would likely see the one-off payment disappear and leave NHS staff waiting for the uncertain outcome of the pay review body.  The government has told the review body it could only afford 3.5%, so that’s a risk.

“Rejecting the offer would see the union press ahead with further ballots and strikes. Our judgement is that there’s more on the table now than health workers would get from the lengthy pay review body process. But health workers must look at what the offer means for them and make their own decision.”

Note to editors: 
– Around 32,000 UNISON members (in ambulance services, the National Blood and Transplant Service, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and a range of hospitals) are currently covered by a strike mandate.
– UNISON isn’t consulting its members over separate proposals looking at the feasibility of a separate pay spine for nurses. UNISON and all but one of the health unions are opposed to such a move, which could herald the end of Agenda for Change and national pay bargaining.
– The result of the pay consultation will be revealed at the union’s annual health conference, which takes place in Bournemouth from 17-19 April.
– 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:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Health workers to decide whether to take NHS wage offer or risk lengthy pay review body wait  first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Nurses, paramedics, blood collection workers and other NHS staff in new strike over pay, says UNISON  

Nurses will join blood collection workers, healthcare assistants, cleaners, porters and ambulance staff in a new day of walkouts over pay next month, says UNISON today (Wednesday).

The union says the strike on Wednesday 8 March is a serious escalation of the dispute and a direct result of the government’s failure to hold proper pay talks with health unions.

Health workers at NHS Blood and Transplant, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the Bridgewater Community Trust will now be among those now walking out for the first time.

They’ll be joined by ambulance staff at four services in England – South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands, also now able to take action following their successful strike vote last week.

This means staff will be on picket lines in all but one ambulance service in England in two weeks’ time. Colleagues working for ambulance services in London, Yorkshire, the North East, North West and South West – who have already taken action on four previous occasions – will also walk out on 8 March.

Up to 32,000 NHS workers belonging to UNISON in England are now able to take strike action. This follows the re-balloting of ten NHS employers in England, where the strike vote fell just short of the legal threshold last year.

NHS workers at two trusts in Liverpool (the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital) will also join the 8 March strike.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Unfortunately for patients, staff and anyone that cares about the NHS, the strikes go on.

“There can be no pick-and-mix solution. NHS workers in five unions are involved in strike action over pay, staffing and patient care. 

“Choosing to speak to one union and not others won’t stop the strikes and could make a bad situation much worse.

“The entire NHS team is absolutely determined to stand firm for better patient care. They’ll be furious at the government’s failure to invite their union in for talks. Not least because a deal just for nurses cannot possibly work, and nurses belong to other unions too.

“Next month staff in all but one of the ambulance services in England will walk out. They’ll be joined by thousands more NHS colleagues, many striking for the first time. The action by NHS Blood and Transplant staff will hit blood collection across the country too.

“By holding solo talks, the prime minister is condemning patients to many more months of disruption. Health workers will want assurances from ministers that they have no intention of ripping up pay agreements in the NHS. Any attempt to do so, would be an incredibly serious move.

“The government now has several billion pounds more than it thought it had in its coffers. Now he has the cash, Rishi Sunak must speak to everyone involved if the dispute is to end.

“Governments elsewhere in the UK know how pay deals can be done. Rishi Sunak must copy their example, hold proper pay talks and allow everyone to get back to work.”

Notes to editors:– Last month UNISON re-balloted ambulance workers at five services in England (South East Coast, South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands) and the Welsh Ambulance Service. Unfortunately, the vote at South East Coast fell short of the legal threshold. Staff at NHS Blood and Transplant, London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the North West-based Bridgewater Community Trust were also asked to vote again over pay and staffing, and now also have mandates to strike.– UNISON ambulance workers took strike action on 21 December, 11 and 23 January, and 10 February. Health workers at two Liverpool trusts (the University Hospitals Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital) walked out on 21 December and 23 January. Staff at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also went on strike on 17 January.
– Last week, the Scottish government made a pay offer to health unions for the next pay year (2023/24), which UNISON has recommended that its members accept. This would see most NHS workers receive increases of more than 8% in April. And mean that over the two years (2022/23 and 2023/24) nurses in Scotland will have got a pay rise of more than 14% and the lowest paid NHS workers an increase of close to 20%. In Wales, UNISON is consulting on an offer from the government to NHS workers of an additional 3% this year. Health and social service workers in Northern Ireland have taken three days of strike action on 12 December, 26 January and 21 February.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union and the largest union in the NHS and in the ambulance sector. It has 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:Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk

The article Nurses, paramedics, blood collection workers and other NHS staff in new strike over pay, says UNISON   first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Vote yes for the NHS: UNISON urges backing for strike action

Some 350,000 NHS employees working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being asked to vote on strike action over pay this winter.

UNISON represents a wide range of staff working in the NHS, including porters, nurses, paramedics and cleaners. The union recommends members vote ‘yes’ for strike action in order to pressure government decision-makers to increase pay.

In England and Wales, NHS staff have had a pay award of just 72p per hour. This is nowhere near what workers need to survive the current cost of living – and it will do nothing to address the staffing crisis which has led to 132,000 unfilled vacancies in England alone.

In Scotland, ministers upped their initial offer of 5% to a flat rate of just over £2,200, which is worth more than 11% to the lowest paid. UNISON has therefore suspended the strike ballot in Scotland and is now consulting members on the new offer.

In Northern Ireland, workers are yet to receive any pay award due to the political situation there.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Striking is the last thing dedicated health workers want to do. But with services in such a dire state, and staff struggling to deliver for patients with fewer colleagues than ever, many feel like the end of the road has been reached. 

“The NHS is losing experienced staff at alarming rates. Health workers are leaving for work that pays better and doesn’t take such a toll on them and their families. If this continues, the health service will never conquer the backlog and treat the millions desperately awaiting care.”

“Not enough to live on”

UNISON member Emily Jones has worked for the NHS in a range of roles, from mental health to the ambulance service, for nine years. Emily is voting for strike when her ballot paper lands.

She said: “The financial burden is now so huge that we can’t cope, I’m the only breadwinner in my household. Our mortgage isn’t fixed and our monthly payment has already doubled. The NHS isn’t in a good place. And the pressures certainly don’t make a great job advert.

“Going on strike is very hard, it’s the last thing we want to do but we can’t go on like this. I’ll be voting ‘yes’ in the ballot for the sake of the NHS and for patients.

“If pay isn’t attractive, then no one will want to join the service. Better pay means we’ll be able to recruit, ease the pressure on existing staff and look after patients.”

UNISON member Joseph Pearce has worked in the NHS for almost 3 years. He began working as a decontamination officer, cleaning surgical equipment, and is now a training officer.

He said: “The pay for bands 2 and 3 is not enough to live on. I have a mortgage and rely on loans and my overdraft to make ends meet. Too many people are struggling.”

For more reasons on why UNISON recommends members vote ‘yes’ for strike action, see here

Strikes are not inevitable

UNISON is urging members to return ballot papers promptly in order to meet strict anti-union ballot thresholds introduced by the government, which require a minimum of 50% of union members to vote and, in public services like hospitals, at least 40%of those to vote ‘yes’, in order for strike action to proceed.

Votes will be counted separately for each employer and strike action can only take place there if enough members have voted.

UNISON deputy head of health Helga Pile told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the pay award for health staff – including paramedics, porters and nurses – outside Scotland was “nowhere near enough.

“Outside Scotland, all they [health staff] have got is a 72 pence per hour award, and that’s just nowhere near enough when they can’t afford to pay their bills.

“They can’t afford to feed themselves, they’re going to work hungry, they’re going home to cold houses at the end of their long shifts.”

Ms McAnea said: “Strikes across the NHS this winter are not inevitable. The government must start to tackle the growing workforce crisis with an inflation-busting pay rise and get the NHS back on the long road to recovery”.

Find out more about NHS pay and the strike ballot

The article Vote yes for the NHS: UNISON urges backing for strike action first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Give health staff pay boost to resolve workforce crisis, says UNISON  

Responding to an analysis by the Nuffield Trust for the BBC showing that 40,000 nurses have left the NHS in England in the past year, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said today (Friday):  

“Nurses and all health employees are passionate about making a difference for patients. But colossal staff shortages and low pay mean it’s no surprise nurses are burned out, fed up and quitting in droves. 

“The government must wake up to this crisis and increase all health workers’ wages above inflation. The NHS and patients will be filled with dread at suggestions of public spending cuts because of the government’s reckless tax gamble.

“It’s easy to see why there’s growing support for strike action amongst nurses and their NHS colleagues.”

Notes to editors: – UNISON starts balloting NHS workers in Scotland over possible strike action next week, and in England at the end of next month.– 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:Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk 

The article Give health staff pay boost to resolve workforce crisis, says UNISON   first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Government has ‘made a big mistake’ on pay and missed the chance to turn the NHS around

Commenting on the government’s announcement today (Tuesday) that NHS staff in England are to receive a pay rise of £1,400 this year, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Th?e government has made a big mistake. ?This short-sighted decision risks harming the UK’s most cherished institution ?beyond repair.

“?Ministers might have shifted their pay position a little, but nowhere near enough. This award is barely half the lowest level of inflation. The price surge shows no sign of easing and hikes to energy bills will wipe out the rise for almost everyone.

“It’s unlikely the increase will apply to the many staff working in hospitals and ambulances services but employed by private contractors. They need a wage boost too.

“A decent pay rise isn’t a magic cure for every NHS ill. But it would show staff and patients that ministers care enough to start sorting out the workforce crisis at the heart of the health service’s many problems.

“Sadly, this award fails on every front. It doesn’t protect health workers from the growing cost of living crisis, arrest the decline in patient services or cut queues.

“Wages are key to fixing the staffing shortages ?hampering the health service’s post-pandemic recovery. The public understands this. It’s a pity the government doesn’t. The Treasury should fund this pay award fully.

“Ministers seem intent on running down the NHS, showing scant regard for the millions of people languishing on waiting lists for tests and treatment.

“Rather than save the NHS with proper investment in staff and services, those vying to be the next Prime Minister want to keep back the cash for pre-election tax cuts.

“Fed-up staff might well now decide to take the matter into their own hands. If there is to be a dispute in the NHS, ministers will have no one to blame but themselves.”

Notes to editors: 
– All NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England will get a consolidated pay rise of £1,400. This package amounts to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Staff at the top of band 6 (for example paramedics) will get £1,561 and those in band 7 (for example advanced physiotherapists) will get slightly more.
– Earlier this week, public polling commissioned by the 13 health unions, including UNISON, and carried out by Savanta ComRes was published. It found that 58% of UK adults believe health workers would be justified in taking industrial action if the government pay award in England was below inflation. More details here. The other 12 unions are: British Association of Occupational Therapists, British Dietetic Association, British Orthoptic Society, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Royal College of Podiatry, Federation of Clinical Scientists, GMB, Managers in Partnership, Prison Officers Association, Royal College of Midwives, Society of Radiographers and Unite.
– Health workers were due a pay rise on 1 April 2022 after their previous one-year deal expired. This award is for NHS staff in England. Health workers in Wales will now need to see how their ministers plan to interpret the recommendations of the NHS pay review body. In Northern Ireland, staff face more uncertainty as decisions on NHS pay will have to wait until Stormont is fully functioning with an agreed budget. In Scotland, UNISON is balloting its 35,000 health members recommending rejection of the Edinburgh government’s 5% pay offer and a vote for strike action. The consultative ballot closes on 8 August.
– The health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to the NHS pay review body. The government had proposed a 3% increase.
– The press office has several NHS workers available to speak to the media.
– 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.

The article Government has ‘made a big mistake’ on pay and missed the chance to turn the NHS around first appeared on the UNISON National site.