Solo pay talks could have serious consequences for the NHS

The government’s failure to hold pay talks with every organisation representing striking NHS workers in England is unacceptable, ill-considered, and has potentially perilous consequences, health unions warn today (Monday). 

The chair and secretary of the union side of the NHS staff council have written to Steve Barclay on behalf of health unions, raising concerns about the government’s handling of the pay dispute. 

The group of 13 unions includes four – UNISON, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB and Unite – that are currently involved in industrial action over NHS pay, staffing and patient care. 

In the letter, the unions urge caution over the government’s decision to hold unilateral talks with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and say the approach risks prolonging the strikes.  

Worse still, the unions say, the solo talks move threatens the future of the Agenda for Change pay system covering all NHS staff, aside from doctors and dentists. 

The letter states that the government should have done things properly and held pay negotiations through the NHS staff council, as has happened previously. This is made up of unions representing all health service workers, NHS employers, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. 

The unions remind the health secretary that those with live strike mandates have made clear that action could be paused in return for talks with an upfront agreement to improve pay for 2022-23. But only the RCN has received such an offer.

Any deal with the RCN could have implications for Agenda for Change pay bands and other contract issues for which the NHS staff council is responsible. By choosing to hold talks with just one union, the government runs several risks according to the letter: 

  • Ministers might agree a deal with the RCN, but then find it can’t be delivered because the content is unacceptable to other unions.
  • Ministers shouldn’t assume that what was enough to persuade the RCN to pause its action and enter talks would be sufficient to allow other striking unions to do the same. This means the government could commit the cash for a pay deal yet strikes involving other NHS workers continue.
  • Any deal with one union could be seen as a deliberate attempt to rip up the established Agenda for Change system, which would be met with a robust response from unions.

The letter calls on Steve Barclay to explain how he intends to turn any agreement the government hopes to reach with the RCN into an offer it can put to unions representing other NHS staff still on strike. 

Chair of the NHS group of unions and UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Strikes across the NHS won’t end until ministers hold proper pay talks with all unions involved in action.

“Attempting a deal with just one solves nothing. And it certainly risks prolonging the dispute. 

“Uncompetitive pay is a key factor behind record vacancy rates affecting all areas of the NHS workforce, not just nursing. And nurses belong to other unions too. 

“Most NHS staff are on Agenda for Change contracts. Preferential treatment for nurses in one union risks wrecking a pay system that’s worked well for almost 20 years. 

“If that happens, ministers would be creating a nightmare scenario for the NHS. Instead of negotiating with all NHS workers at the same time, employers would have to speak to multiple groups.  

“This would be yet another headache for an NHS struggling to get back on its feet and deliver for patients.” 

Secretary of the NHS group of unions and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy assistant director of employment relations Elaine Sparkes said“The government is playing a dangerous game. Ministers’ clumsy attempts to stop the strikes so far have done more damage than good.  

“But all’s not lost. There’s still time to call everyone in, share details of the new offer being discussed with the RCN and allow staff, employers and unions to concentrate on getting the NHS back on track.” 

Notes to editors: 
The letter to Steve Barclay is signed by Sara Gorton and Elaine Sparkes, the chair and secretary of the union side of the NHS staff council, on behalf of the 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, UNISON and Unite.

Media contacts: 
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk 
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Solo pay talks could have serious consequences for the NHS first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Pay proposal will worsen the NHS dispute

Commenting on the Department of Health and Social Care’s submission today (Tuesday) to the NHS pay review body recommending a ?maximum pay rise of 3.5% in 2023/4 for health workers in England, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“If the government was actively trying to worsen the crisis in the NHS, it couldn’t have done better than this.

“Vacancies are at an all-time high and this pitiful pay suggestion does nothing to solve the growing staffing emergency. The Scottish government has already offered significantly more to its NHS workers.

“Worse still it could prove the final straw for staff already questioning their future in the NHS. If more leave, the outlook for patient care is beyond grim.

“Pay talks with all health unions representing striking NHS workers must happen now. Meeting with one union alone will do nothing to solve the dispute. Ministers need to start behaving like grown-ups and up their game substantially.”

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 Pay proposal will worsen the NHS dispute first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS staff across Northern Ireland take third day of action in strike over pay

Health and social service workers across Northern Ireland are staging a third 24-hour walkout tomorrow in the ongoing dispute about pay and staffing, says UNISON today (Monday).

Nurses, ambulance staff, healthcare assistants, homecare workers, porters and staff in other NHS roles will be on picket lines and joining marches to five rallies taking place across Northern Ireland tomorrow.

NHS and care staff in Northern Ireland have so far staged a one-day strike in December and another last month (26 January).

Tomorrow is the third time they will have walked out. They’ve also been taking action short of a strike (working to their contracts and not doing any overtime) for several weeks too.

UNISON says Tuesday’s strike could be halted if the Westminster government would only talk to health unions and come up with the goods for a pay rise to resolve the dispute.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, who will be visiting various picket lines and speaking at a rally outside Belfast City Hall, said: “No ambulance or NHS worker wants to be taking action. But the number of vacancies has become so great that they can no longer deliver safe patient care or maintain quality services.

“Strikes won’t be called off until health workers’ wages are boosted this year and talks held to negotiate the next rise due in April.

“Governments in other parts of the UK have shown what it’s possible to achieve with dialogue, and a commitment to boosting pay and tackling the staffing emergency.

“Ministers must change gear, find the funds to invest in the workforce, improve wages and resolve the dispute in the best interests of staff, the NHS and patients.”

UNISON Northern Ireland head of health Anne Speed said: “While the political stalemate continues health staff and patients are paying the price.

“Politicians in Northern Ireland should roll up their sleeves and act together in the interests of the health service. They should put pressure on Rishi Sunak and Chris Heaton-Harris to release the funding that could help end this damaging dispute.”

Notes to editors: 
– At 9.30am on Tuesday, health workers will join a march, alongside UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, that forms up from picket lines at the Royal Victoria Hospital, the City Hospital, Greenpark, the Mater Hospital and various other health locations across Belfast. They will head towards City Hall for a rally where they’ll be joined by teachers, who are also on strike tomorrow. Rallies are also taking place tomorrow in Bangor, Ballymena, Omagh and Derry.
– For media interviews with Christina McAnea while she’s in Belfast, contact John Patrick Clayton on 07508 080386.
– 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
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

 

The article NHS staff across Northern Ireland take third day of action in strike over pay first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS dispute widens to cover most parts of England

The growing NHS dispute over pay and staffing will now cover ambulance services and other NHS organisations across most parts of England, says UNISON today (Friday).

Announcing its re-ballot results of thousands more health workers, UNISON says staff at another four English ambulance services and five NHS organisations, including NHS Blood and Transplant, will now be able to strike. This is a significant escalation of the dispute.

Following the re-ballot of staff at ten NHS employers in England, the union said ambulance staff at four services in England – South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands – had voted to take industrial action.

They’ve been joined today by 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.

The 12,000 staff involved in the re-ballots can now take part in the ongoing dispute alongside their NHS colleagues at ambulance services in London, Yorkshire, the North East, North West and South West. Since the dispute over pay and staffing began in December, staff at these service have taken strike action on four occasions, says UNISON.

NHS workers at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and two trusts in Liverpool (the University Hospitals Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital) have also had live strike mandates since last year. Between them, these NHS employees have taken three days of action.

Announcing the results of the ballot at UNISON’s annual women’s conference in Bournemouth, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “It’s time the prime minister ditched his ‘do nothing’ strategy for dealing with escalating strikes across the NHS.

“Governments in other parts of the UK know what it takes to resolve disputes. Ministers in Scotland and Wales are talking to health unions and acting to boost pay for NHS staff this year.

“And Holyrood is really showing Westminster up. Health workers in Scotland have had a bigger pay rise this year and are set to get a decent wage increase in April following their government’s latest offer.

“Sadly, health workers across England have been met with a wall of silence from Number Ten. The prime minister stubbornly refuses to talk about pay, preferring to subject everyone to many months of disruption.

“The public must think the Westminster government is living on another planet. They can see how talks in other parts of the UK have lifted the threat of strikes and cannot understand why the prime minister isn’t doing the same.

“Health staff want to go back to work, and the public wants an NHS capable of delivering quality care. The prime minister must roll up his sleeves, invite the unions into Downing Street and start the genuine pay talks that could end this damaging dispute.”

Notes to editors:
– 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.
– UNISON ambulance workers took strike action on 21 December, on 11 and 23 January, and on 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. Further strike dates are set to be announced.
– Earlier today the Scottish government made a pay offer to health unions for the next pay year (2023/24). If accepted, this would see most NHS workers receive pay increases of more than 8% in April.  That would 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%.
– 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
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article NHS dispute widens to cover most parts of England first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Westminster has again been shown up by Holyrood over NHS pay

Commenting on the latest pay offer to health workers from the Scottish government covering the year ahead starting in April, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said today (Friday):

“Once again, Holyrood has shown Westminster up. Genuine pay talks with unions can help prevent damaging NHS disputes.

“Dialogue has led to decent wage offers in Scotland and Wales. Rishi Sunak should take heed and give it a go too.

“Scottish ministers clearly value health workers and know better pay can help improve staffing levels. This is in stark contrast to the Westminster government’s shoddy treatment of NHS employees.

“Health workers in Scotland had a bigger pay rise this year, putting a stop to the threat of strikes. Now they’re set to get a decent April wage increase, and on time too.

“Staff across the NHS in England are right to feel upset and angry at the prime minister’s abject failure to resolve the escalating dispute.

“Rishi Sunak has no plan to end the strikes and looks content to inflict months of needless disruption on the public.

“He expects health workers to wait until the NHS pay review body makes its recommendation. But that won’t be until May at the earliest. And it’ll do nothing to solve the current dispute.

“But the solution is in plain sight. The prime minister must open the door of Number 10 and invite the unions in for pay talks.

“Everyone could go back to work if the Prime Minister followed Holyrood’s example and committed to boosting NHS pay both this year and next. It really is that simple.”

Notes to editors:
– If accepted, the Scottish government’s pay offer would see most NHS workers receive pay increases of more than 8% in 2023/24.  That would 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%.
– UNISON has 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. In addition, NHS 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 have also been asked to vote again to strike over pay and staffing. The results of those ballots are due to be published later today.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union and the largest union in the NHS and in the ambulance sector, 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
A
nthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Westminster has again been shown up by Holyrood over NHS pay first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Boost NHS pay, end the disputes and improve patient care

Commenting on new TUC research published today (Friday) showing that NHS workers have lost at least “a year’s worth of salary” because their pay has not kept pace with inflation since 2010, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“These figures show precisely what’s behind the wave of industrial action in the health service this winter.

“Ministers clearly don’t value health workers as much as they should. It’s no wonder the NHS is struggling to attract and keep staff when employees are finding it so much harder to cover their bills.

“The link between pay and staffing is obvious to everyone but the government.

“Without proper investment in the NHS workforce, people will continue to leave for better paid, less stressful jobs and services to patients won’t improve.

“It’s time the chancellor came out of hiding and found the money to pay staff properly.

“Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak can stop the disputes right away by talking with unions and boosting wages, just as governments elsewhere in the UK have done.”

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 Boost NHS pay, end the disputes and improve patient care first appeared on the UNISON National site.

It’s time the PM ditched the pretence and came clean with the public, says UNISON

If the government has no intention of resolving the NHS dispute, the prime minister must come clean and admit to the public that many more months of disruption are on the cards, says UNISON today (Thursday).

Ministers say they only want to talk about the NHS wage rise due in April. But the current round of strikes is over the government’s failure to tackle the growing staffing emergency and pay health workers properly this financial year, says the union.

By refusing point blank to discuss the issue at the heart of the dispute, the prime minister is condemning the public to escalating strikes, with more health workers and unions likely to join in the coming weeks, says UNISON.

Tomorrow (Friday) ambulance workers belonging to UNISON in five services across England (London, Yorkshire, the South West, North West and North East), will walk out for a fourth time. 

And next week UNISON ballots are due to close involving an additional 13,000 health workers, including staff at the five other ambulance services in England.

Despite this potential escalation, the government is still refusing to convene talks, says UNISON. Ministers want everyone to await the outcome of the NHS pay review body, but at best that’s not likely to report before May, the union says.

New figures from NHS England suggest 137,000 appointments have been cancelled since the strikes began last December. At this rate, as many as 250,000 patients could face disruption by late spring, should the government allow the dispute to drag on needlessly, warns UNISON.

It’s not even as if the prime minister has far to look to see how easy it is to do things rather differently, says UNISON.

Discussions between governments and health unions in Scotland and Wales have seen strikes paused and improved pay offers for NHS staff. Now talks between fire service employers and firefighters mean yet another strike threat has been lifted.

UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Dialogue can achieve great things. The prime minister should give it a go. Governments elsewhere in the UK have shown it’s good to talk to unions. That’s the only way disputes get resolved.

“Rishi Sunak says his door is open but without an invite to that mythical negotiating table, NHS staff have no choice but to go on striking.

“Ambulance workers are desperate to get back to work, care for people and save lives. But they’re equally determined to secure the pay rise that’ll help put the NHS in a much better place.

“The prime minister must ditch the pretence. It’s time to come clean with people and admit the government’s only plan is to sit tight and hope public opinion turns against health workers.

“But that’s unlikely to happen. The public can see that by choosing not to negotiate, the government is condemning them to months of unnecessary disruption.

“Rishi Sunak says the NHS is a priority, but his inaction suggests otherwise. NHS leaders, health staff and patients all want the government to resolve the dispute now, not in many months’ time.

“With the chancellor in hiding, it’s down to the prime minister to step up. Rishi Sunak must stop trying to sit it out, take the hand being offered to him by the unions, settle the dispute and allow the NHS to get back on track.”

Urging the prime minister to resolve the dispute, 111 health worker Melissa Ozcan, who works for the North West Ambulance Service, said: “I’ll never forget an 85-year-old man who’d fallen on the floor, couldn’t get up and had no family nearby to help. It broke my heart to tell him the wait for an ambulance was 11 hours. This polite, lovely man was all alone. 

“People in those situations deteriorate very quickly and the current wait times are dangerous. We wouldn’t be seeing these issues if more staff could be retained. It’s not in my gift to change things but the prime minister can with a decent pay rise.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON balloted 15,000 workers across the five ambulance services. Details of the pickets being organised are here.
– UNISON is re-balloting ambulance workers at five ambulance services in England (South East Coast, South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands) and the Welsh Ambulance Service. This began on Friday 6 January and continues until next Thursday (16 February). Also being re-balloted are UNISON members working 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.
– UNISON ambulance workers took strike action on 21 December, and again on 11 and 23 January. Friday 10 February is their fourth day of action. Health workers at two Liverpool trusts (the University Hospitals Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital) first walked out on 21 December and on 23 January. Staff at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also went on strike on 17 January.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union and the largest union in the NHS and in the ambulance sector, 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 It’s time the PM ditched the pretence and came clean with the public, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Welsh government NHS pay move ramps up the pressure on the PM, says UNISON

Commenting on the pay offer today (Friday) from the Welsh government offering NHS workers an additional 3% this year, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“This ramps up the pressure on the prime minister significantly. Political leaders in Scotland and now in Wales are making the Westminster government look decidedly mean and totally out of touch.

“Rishi Sunak says he’d love to give health workers a pay rise yet claims he can’t. But he can and he should. If he doesn’t, NHS strikes will continue across England for months.

“Staff and patients in England deserve much better treatment from a prime minister who insists the NHS is one of his top priorities.

“Both Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford have chosen to do more for their NHS staff this year. The prime minister should stop with the lame excuses and follow the lead of Holyrood and the Senedd.

“Rishi Sunak must now invite health unions in for genuine pay talks. Other UK governments have shown it’s possible to invest in the NHS workforce. It’s high time this happened in England too.”

Notes to editors:

– UNISON’s health committee will now meet to discuss the Welsh government’s offer in more detail before putting it out to consultation with its members in the NHS. The re-ballot of staff in the Welsh Ambulance Service will continue and closes on 16 February.
– Next week, there’s only one day (Wednesday) where there won’t be a strike involving NHS workers in England. On Monday Royal College of Nursing (RCN), GMB and Unite members will go on strike, followed by a second day of action from the RCN on Tuesday 7. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is calling its members out on Thursday, and the day after up to 15,000 UNISON ambulance staff walk out across five ambulance services in England.
– UNISON is also re-balloting workers at the remaining five ambulance services in England (South East Coast, South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands) as well as in the Welsh Ambulance Service. This vote began on 6 January and ends 16 February. Also being re-balloted are UNISON members at NHS Blood and Transplant, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the North West-based Bridgewater Community Trust.
– UNISON ambulance workers took strike action on 21 December, and again on 11 and 23 January. Friday 10 February is their fourth day of action. Health workers at two Liverpool trusts (the University Hospitals Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital) first walked out on 21 December and on 23 January. Staff at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also went on strike on 17 January.
– 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
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Welsh government NHS pay move ramps up the pressure on the PM, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Digging in won’t solve pay dispute, nor get the NHS back on its feet

The NHS won’t be able to deliver the speedier response times and better care the government is promising until ministers try harder to end the growing dispute about pay and staffing, says UNISON today (Tuesday).

Later today the health secretary will be asked about the government’s handling of the NHS dispute by MPs on the health and social care select committee, just as UNISON announces its fourth day of strike action on Friday 10 February.

This morning, NHS pay review body chair Philippa Hird told the committee the Department of Health and Social Care has yet to submit evidence ahead of the next pay round beginning in April. The deadline was 11 January.

UNISON’s 10 February strike again involves ambulance workers across five services in England – London, Yorkshire, the South West, North East and North West.

Strikes will now be happening across the NHS every day next week apart from Wednesday (8 February). UNISON’s action follows hard on the heels of strikes involving ambulance staff, nurses and physiotherapists organised by four other health unions.

With worries about the state of the NHS topping the list of public concerns recently, UNISON’s urging the government to stop pretending the strikes will simply go away and act decisively to end the dispute by improving pay.

But unless the government has a major rethink over NHS pay, and gets actual pay talks going with unions, UNISON warns it will announce strike dates running into March. By then, the dispute is likely to affect double the number of trusts and extend to the whole of the ambulance service in England, says UNISON.

UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “After promising everyone a quicker pay review body process, the secretary of state’s own department failed to get its evidence in on time earlier this month.

“Ministers must stop fobbing the public off with promises of a better NHS, while not lifting a finger to solve the staffing emergency staring them in the face.

“The government must stop playing games. Rishi Sunak wants the public to believe ministers are doing all they can to resolve the dispute. They’re not.

“There are no pay talks, and the prime minister must stop trying to hoodwink the public. It’s time for some honesty. Ministers are doing precisely nothing to end the dispute.

“The government’s tactics seem to be to dig in, wait months for the pay review body report and hope the dispute goes away. It won’t. And in the meantime, staff will carry on quitting, and patients being let down.

“There can be no health service without the staff to run it. Ministers must open proper talks to end the dispute and put in place the urgent retention plan needed to boost pay and staffing across the NHS.”

Notes to editors:
– Last week the January 2023 Ipsos Issues Index showed that public concerns about the NHS are now more important than inflation and the economy. Forty two per cent said the NHS was the most pressing issue, up fifteen percentage points since December. This compared to 37% mentioning the economy and 36% inflation.
– On Monday 6 February Royal College of Nursing (RCN), GMB and Unite members will go on strike, followed by a second day of action from the RCN on Tuesday 7. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is calling its members out next Thursday, and the day after up to 15,000 UNISON ambulance staff walk out across five ambulance services in England.
– UNISON is also re-balloting workers at the remaining five ambulance services in England (South East Coast, South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands) as well as in the Welsh Ambulance Service. This vote began on 6 January and ends 16 February. Also being re-balloted are UNISON members at NHS Blood and Transplant, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the North West-based Bridgewater Community Trust.
– UNISON ambulance workers took strike action on 21 December, and again on 11 and 23 January. Friday 10 February is their fourth day of action. Health workers at two Liverpool trusts (the University Hospitals Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital) first walked out on 21 December and on 23 January. Staff at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also went on strike on 17 January.
– Earlier this month, health unions decided against submitting joint evidence about the wage rise due in April to the NHS pay review body because of the ongoing dispute. Health secretary Steve Barclay had promised unions he would speed up the pay review body process, but his department has still not put in its own evidence. The deadline was 11 January.
– 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
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Digging in won’t solve pay dispute, nor get the NHS back on its feet first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Solving workforce emergency now is key to the future of the NHS

Commenting on the government’s proposals to boost NHS emergency care published today (Monday), UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“The government has at last acknowledged that there are deep problems in emergency care.

“But if the Prime Minister wants to take credit for fixing emergency care next winter, he must first resolve the workforce crisis happening now.

“There’s nothing to deliver the urgent retention plan needed to stop staff leaving jobs in the NHS. Nor is there anything about boosting pay to prevent the current industrial unrest from spreading.

“Without halting further strikes over pay and staffing, it’s difficult to see how this plan will be delivered. Particularly with precious little new funding from the Treasury.

“The success of the NHS begins and ends with its employees. No plans to deal with waiting times and handover delays stand a chance without tackling staffing shortages.

“To do that, ministers must begin genuine pay talks with unions right away and make a commitment to a proper wage boost.”

Notes to editors:
– 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.

Press contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
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The article Solving workforce emergency now is key to the future of the NHS first appeared on the UNISON National site.