nhs pay – Page 8 – Union Newswire

Put pay right to solve nurse and midwife exodus, says UNISON

Commenting on Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) data that shows more people are leaving its professional register this year than at the same time last year, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said today (Wednesday):

“Pay and staffing are at the heart of the problems affecting the NHS. Nurses and midwives are leaving for jobs elsewhere because they can’t afford their bills or to feed their families.

“Overseas workers will always be valued in the NHS. But relying on international recruitment is no substitute for the urgent retention plan needed for UK health professionals.

“The government must put NHS pay right to stop staff going and improve care for patients.”

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

The article Put pay right to solve nurse and midwife exodus, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Boost NHS pay to prevent pre-Christmas strikes

Ambulance workers across England are likely to strike before Christmas, says ?UNISON today (Tuesday), as it announces the results of its month-long NHS strike ballot.

Thousands of 999 call handlers, ambulance technicians, paramedics and their colleagues working for ambulance services in the North East, North West, London, Yorkshire and the South West ?are to be called out on strike over pay and staffing levels.

Commenting on the ballot results, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The decision to ?take action and lose a day’s pay is always a tough call. It’s especially challenging for those whose jobs involve caring and saving lives.

“But thousands of ambulance staff and their NHS colleagues know delays won’t lessen, nor waiting times reduce, until the government acts on wages. That’s why they’ve taken the difficult decision to strike.

“Patients will always come first and emergency cover will be available during any strike. But unless NHS pay and staffing get fixed, services and care will continue to decline.

“The public knows health services won’t improve without huge increases in staffing and wants the government to pay up to save ?the NHS. It’s high time ministers stopped using the pay review body as cover for their inaction.

“Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak and Steve Barclay must roll up their sleeves and start talking to unions about how better wages for staff can help start to turn the NHS around.”

More than 80,000 health workers across England have voted to go on strike and although ?the vote was just below the 50% threshold in many ?trusts, ?ministers should be in no doubt about the level of anger and frustration from NHS workers. This level of support for action will only grow, says UNISON.

Notes to editors:
– UNISON’s health committee is analysing the results of the ballot and will decide what happens next. This is likely to include setting the first strike date and making decisions about those trusts where the vote fell just short of the required threshold.
– Health workers belonging to UNISON and working in Northern Ireland have already voted to take action over pay and staffing. For a week from Monday 5 December, NHS staff will take action short of a strike, which means working to their contracts, ending their shifts on time and refusing overtime. They’ll then be striking for the day on Monday 12 December. In Scotland UNISON is recommending its NHS members vote to accept the latest offer from Holyrood, which will see a £2,205 increase for the lowest paid staff, and more for those on higher bands. That vote closes on 12 December. In Wales, the threshold necessary for strike action wasn’t met anywhere, and its health committee is to meet to decide on its next steps.
– In July the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement this award but could not do so due to the political stalemate. This means NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all.
– UNISON and most other health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to this year’s NHS pay review body.

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 Boost NHS pay to prevent pre-Christmas strikes first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Workforce plan and proper pay rise vital to secure NHS future, says UNISON

Commenting on the speech today (Wednesday) by NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard to the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“Without skilled, experienced staff, there is no NHS. Vacancies have now reached intolerable levels and there’s no cure in sight.

“It’s vital the government gets behind a proper workforce plan before it’s too late. The focus should be on permanent jobs rather than patching up the system with expensive agency staff.

“But the first step to getting the NHS back on its feet is to boost health workers’ pay immediately. It’s the critical first step to stop talent and experience draining away and leaving patients unable to get the care they deserve.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is currently balloting health staff working for more than 250 NHS employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland over pay. That vote closes in Northern Ireland on Friday (18 November), and next Friday (25 November) in England and Wales. UNISON members in Scotland have voted to reject the latest pay offer from the Scottish government.
– UNISON and most other health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to the NHS pay review body.
– In July, the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April 2022. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement the same award but could not do so due to the political stalemate, so NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all.
– 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 contact:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Workforce plan and proper pay rise vital to secure NHS future, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Government must focus on sorting NHS pay now, says UNISON

Commenting on the news today (Wednesday) that the government has begun the NHS pay review body process for 2023-24, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“Ministers should be concerned with putting NHS pay right now, not trying to distract unions with the long, drawn-out evidence-gathering process of the pay review body.

“Staff are exiting in droves and without urgent movement on pay, many more will follow suit.

“NHS services are in a dire state, with too few staff to deliver safe patient care. That’s why hundreds of thousands of NHS employees have either voted to strike over pay and staffing, or are currently doing so.

“Rather than pretending the NHS isn’t on the verge of a damaging dispute, the government’s focus should be on how to keep experienced staff in their jobs. They can do this with a wage rise that better reflects the harsh economic reality for working people.”

Notes to editors:
– In July, the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April 2022. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement the same award but couldn’t because of the political stalemate, so NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all.
– UNISON’s ballot of health staff working for more than 250 NHS employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland launched on 25 October. That vote closes in Northern Ireland on Friday (18 November), and next Friday (25 November) in England and Wales. UNISON members in Scotland have voted to reject the latest pay offer from the Scottish government.
– UNISON and most other health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to the NHS pay review body. Other unions either with a live strike mandate or balloting or for industrial action in the NHS include the Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB and Unite.
– To achieve a legal strike ballot, UK law requires unions to jump a variety of hurdles. In addition to requiring 50% of the workers being balloted to participate in any vote, the law demands that in very important public services, like many parts of the NHS, 40% of those sent ballot papers must vote yes. Unions are also unable to conduct strike ballots electronically. All ballot papers must be sent out in the mail and returned by post.
– 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 contact:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Government must focus on sorting NHS pay now, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Act on pay and help the NHS, staff and patients, say health unions

Unions representing more than a million staff working across the NHS have today (Tuesday) met with health secretary Steve Barclay to discuss the growing workforce crisis.

At the Westminster meeting this morning, the unions made clear that without urgent government action on wages, experienced health workers would continue to quit their jobs, and the NHS struggle to attract new staff in sufficient numbers.

Unions told the secretary of state that patient waits for treatment would carry on worsening, unless something was done about the dangerously low staffing levels affecting every part of the NHS.

Decent wages are key to stopping employees leaving and to turning the NHS into an attractive employer for potential recruits, the unions urged.

The unions also warned that threats to cap wages next year would do nothing to fill the 132,000 vacancies across the NHS in England alone and would make a desperate staffing situation significantly worse.

Ministers must act now, invest in staff and services with an inflation-proofed wage rise, or be responsible for disputes across the NHS this winter that no one wants to see, urged the unions.

Health unions await a date for the next meeting with the health secretary.

Commenting on today’s meeting, UNISON head of health and chair of the NHS unions Sara Gorton said: “There can be no solution to the damaging workforce crisis unless the government improves NHS pay. Without the staff to provide essential care, patients face excessive and lengthening waits to be seen.

“Ministers must give the NHS urgent help and provide the cash for another wage rise. The alternative is multiple disputes in what could be the worst winter on record for the NHS. No one wants that. The government must try harder for all our sakes.”

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy assistant director and secretary of the ?NHS group of unions Elaine Sparkes said: “This is the first time that physiotherapy staff have been balloted over pay. This demonstrates how fearful they are about their ability to continue delivering high quality patient care if the government does not take urgent steps to address the workforce crisis.

‘Those steps must start with improving pay and putting an urgent retention package in place because we cannot afford to lose more staff if the NHS is to meet its enormous challenges.”

Unite national officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe said: “The government must put forward a better pay deal and one that is not funded from already mercilessly squeezed budgets.

“The truth is that NHS workers can’t carry on like this. Waiting lists are lengthening and healthcare staff are leaving in alarming numbers. Unite is determined to win a better deal for our members.”

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: “If the health secretary wants to stop an unprecedented winter of NHS strikes, he knows what to do.

“It’s not rocket science. Give NHS workers a proper pay rise, that means they don’t have to use food banks or quit the service in droves.

“By not paying staff properly, ministers are leaving the NHS unable to recruit and retain enough workers, putting patient safety at risk every day. Mr Barclay must listen to the concerns of health workers.”

Royal College of Midwives director for employment relations Alice Sorby said: “Our members do not take Industrial action lightly. Without urgent action to prevent the exodus of midwives, the staffing crisis in maternity services won’t be solved. There are almost 800 fewer midwives working in England’s NHS than at the last general election.

“Decent pay is absolutely key to retaining staff. We remain ready and willing to talk to the government about ways to retain staff through an urgent retention package. A proper pay award has to be central to this.”

RCN director of employment relations and legal services Jo Galbraith-Marten said: “We will only make progress through detailed discussions that seriously consider the concerns of nursing staff.

“Until the government recognises the need to pay nursing fairly, meetings will be ineffective. No nurse ever wants to strike, but we have been forced into this situation because low pay and workforce shortages are pushing nursing staff out of the profession and making care increasingly unsafe.

“Ministers can stop strike action by nursing staff at any point. Our door is always open.”

Notes to editors:
– The 14 NHS 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, Royal College of Nursing, Society of Radiographers, UNISON and Unite.
– In July, the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April 2022. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement the same award but could not do so due to the political stalemate. This means NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all.
– The health unions either with a live strike mandate, who are in the middle of balloting or are planning to ballot for industrial action in the NHS include the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB and Unite.

Media contacts:
UNISON M: 07834 864794 E: press@unison.co.uk
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy M: 07917 091200 E: ryanj@csp.org.uk

The article Act on pay and help the NHS, staff and patients, say health unions first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Government must act urgently on NHS pay to bring record waiting times down, says UNISON

Commenting on new figures published today (Thursday) showing waiting lists for routine treatment in England have hit an all-time high, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“The NHS is in danger of reaching the point of no return. Waiting lists will simply not improve unless ministers address chronic under-staffing. Improving pay would make an immediate difference. Without a decent wage rise, health workers will continue to leave and patients suffer.

“NHS staff are voting yes to strike for the sake of patients and a better NHS. But a damaging dispute can be avoided.

“The government must start talks to put pay right, solve the workforce crisis and tackle the ever-growing backlog.”

Notes to editors:
– In July, the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April 2022. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement the same award but could not do so due to the political stalemate. This means NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all. In Scotland, UNISON has been balloting its 50,000 health members recommending rejection of a 5% offer from the Edinburgh government. But following an improved offer last month of a £2,205 flat-rate increase, UNISON’s health committee in Scotland decided to suspend the strike ballot. That offer is currently being put to UNISON members in a digital consultative ballot that closes next week. UNISON’s ballot of 350,000 health staff working for more than 250 NHS employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland launched on 25 October. That vote closes in Northern Ireland on 18 November, and a week later (25 November) in England and Wales. UNISON and most other health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to the NHS pay review body.
– Other unions either balloting or planning to ballot for industrial action in the NHS include the Royal College of Midwives, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB and Unite.
– To achieve a legal strike ballot, UK law requires unions to jump a variety of hurdles. In addition to requiring 50% of the workers being balloted to participate in any vote, the law demands that in very important public services, like many parts of the NHS, 40% of those sent ballot papers must vote yes. Unions are also unable to conduct strike ballots electronically. All ballot papers must be sent out in the mail and returned by post.
– 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
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Government must act urgently on NHS pay to bring record waiting times down, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Strike vote is loud wake-up call to the government, says UNISON

Commenting on the likelihood of strikes across the NHS this winter following the Royal College of Nursing ballot, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“This is loud a wake-up call to the government. Hundreds of thousands more nurses, paramedics, cleaners, health care assistants and other NHS employees are still to decide if they’ll be striking for better pay and staffing. Now is the time for swift action to avoid a damaging dispute.

“A strike across the NHS this winter isn’t inevitable. Unions want to work with ministers to solve the NHS staffing crisis and its impact on patient care. But that must start with another pay rise for health workers. Otherwise, delays and waits for patients won’t reduce.

“A second wage increase in line with rising prices would ensure staff can provide for their families. It would also stop experienced employees leaving so the NHS can keep caring for patients.

“Inflation has already wiped out this year’s 72p an hour increase. Threats of wage caps next year to make good the damage caused by the previous government’s economic incompetence will only make a bad situation significantly worse.

“NHS managers are fighting a losing battle. They know pay and the lack of staff are the main reasons why health workers are leaving at alarming rates. The NHS cannot keep patients safe without improving staffing levels. Boosting pay is a crucial first step in dealing with the NHS workforce crisis.

“The government must put pay right to spare the NHS, its staff, and all those relying on its care, from a dispute no one wants to see.”

Note to editors:
– In July, the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April 2022. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement the same award but could not do so due to the political stalemate. This means NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all. In Scotland, UNISON has been balloting its 50,000 health members recommending rejection of a 5% offer from the Edinburgh government. But following an improved offer last month of a £2,205 flat-rate increase, UNISON’s health committee in Scotland decided to suspend its strike ballot. That offer is currently being put to UNISON members in a digital consultative ballot that closes next week. UNISON’s ballot of health staff working for more than 250 NHS employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland launched on 25 October. That vote closes in Northern Ireland on 18 November, and a week later (25 November) in England and Wales.
– UNISON and most other health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to the NHS pay review body.
– Other unions either balloting or planning to ballot for industrial action in the NHS include the Royal College of Midwives, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB and Unite.
– To achieve a legal strike ballot, UK law requires unions to jump a variety of hurdles. In addition to requiring 50% of the workers being balloted to participate in any vote, the law demands that in very important public services, like many parts of the NHS, 40% of those sent ballot papers must vote yes. Unions are also unable to conduct strike ballots electronically. All ballot papers must be sent out in the mail and returned by post.
– 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 contact:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Strike vote is loud wake-up call to the government, 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.

General secretary urges members to ‘vote, vote, VOTE’ in NHS ballot

“I’ve been speaking to our NHS workers – nurses, ambulance workers, hospital cleaners, who say the service is already on its knees, that’s it’s so bad, going on strike won’t actually make it worse, but will draw attention to it.”

General secretary Christina McAnea was speaking at UNISON’s annual disabled conference in Brighton this morning, and was addressing the fears of health members over the damage that industrial action could do to the NHS.

But as she stressed the challenge facing the union in getting the vote out and urged members working in health to ‘vote, vote, VOTE’ and to persuade their fellow members to do so. This is particularly vital given the high bar the Tories’ anti-union laws have set on turnout in industrial action ballots.

This was vital given the continuing cost of living crisis – and the prospect of “austerity part two” from new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as he deals with the fallout from the catastrophic ‘mini-budget’ of his predecessor Liz Truss and her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

She told delegates that, in Scotland, where the devolved government has made a different offer to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, “we are waiting to see the outcome of the consultation on the latest offer”.

She said that she was “confident the Labour leader in Wales and his cabinet members will talk to us.

“Do I think the Tories will? Well, Truss, Kwarteng and Thérèse Coffey [health secretary under Truss] certainly wouldn’t have – let’s see what this week’s Tory leaders will do. Let’s just say – I’m not holding my breath.”

It is against this background that the union “will be doing all we can to win every single ballot.”

The cost of living crisis was not the only theme for Ms McAnea, who also wanted to celebrate 2022 as being UNISON’s Year of Disabled Workers, and pledged to ensure that, when it is over, she will write to all regions and service groups “explaining their role in continuing its legacy.

“Because we don’t just campaign and fight for your rights in the Year of Disabled Workers, we commit to doing this all year round, every year.”

Praising the group for its continuing work to help, support disabled members, the general secretary concluded by telling conference: “No matter how big and daunting the challenges ahead of us may seem, nothing is insurmountable when we are united and deliver the same compassion, dedication and tenacity that you show to your members every day. Thank you”.

The article General secretary urges members to ‘vote, vote, VOTE’ in NHS ballot first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Strikes across the NHS edge closer as latest industrial action ballot begins

Around 350,000 NHS employees, working for more than 250 health trusts and boards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, are being asked to vote for strike action over pay this winter from today (Thursday), says UNISON.

The most pressing issue for the new prime minister and health secretary is without doubt finding a solution to the many problems affecting the NHS, says UNISON.

If, as Rishi Sunak says, he wants to strengthen the NHS, ministers have no option but to build upon the rise of £1,400 awarded to health workers in England earlier in the summer, urges the union.

A second wage increase that better protects staff against the ravages of inflation, and helps the NHS hold on to the many leaving for more lucrative, less challenging jobs elsewhere, would make the world of difference, says UNISON.

Commenting on the strike ballot, 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.

“It feels like the NHS is in the last chance saloon. But a vote for industrial action might be the jolt that convinces ministers to make the NHS the priority they say it is.

“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.”

Hundreds of thousands of ballot papers are being posted out today. The union is urging health workers to return them promptly to overcome the strict laws on turnout put in place by a previous Conservative government to make industrial action more difficult, it adds.

Note to editors:
– In July the government in Westminster announced that most NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts (NHS terms and conditions) in England would get a pay rise of £1,400, in line with the recommendation of the NHS pay review body. This amounted to a 4.75% increase to the NHS pay bill. Health workers had been due a wage rise on 1 April 2022. Health workers in Wales got the same award. The health minister in Northern Ireland said he wanted to implement the same award but could not do so due to the political stalemate. This means NHS workers there have had no pay rise at all. In Scotland, UNISON has been balloting its 50,000 health members recommending rejection of a 5% offer from the Edinburgh government. But following an improved offer last week of a £2,205 flat-rate increase, UNISON’s health committee in Scotland decided on Wednesday (26 October) to suspend the strike ballot. This had been due to close on Monday (31 October). The offer will now be put to UNISON members in Scotland in a digital consultative ballot next week.
– UNISON and most other health unions had called for an above-inflation pay rise in their submission to the NHS pay review body. UNISON’s ballot of NHS staff in England and Wales opens today (27 October) and closes on 25 November. The Northern Ireland strike ballot also opens today but closes on 18 November.
– The press office has NHS workers available to speak to the media. Case studies include:

Emily works in admin for an NHS trust in the south west of England. She says she’s struggling to cope. Her mortgage isn’t fixed, and her monthly payments have doubled. Her family lives in an old farmhouse, which is poorly insulated and gets very cold. To keep warm this winter, she says they’ll be using hot water bottles and sitting under blankets. Emily says going on strike is the last thing she and her colleagues want to do, but things can’t go on as they are. If pay isn’t attractive, no-one will want to join the service, she adds. Better wages mean the NHS will be able to start recruiting again, which will ease the pressure on existing staff and improve patient care.
Stanley is a clinical support worker from London. His job involves washing, feeding and taking patients to the toilet, but staff shortages mean the quality of care is deteriorating, he says. Patients are going without evening washes, and medication dispensing is often delayed. He says rising costs leave him struggling to get through the month, which gets him down. His colleagues keep leaving and he says he can’t see a future for the NHS if the staffing crisis continues.
Sam is an operating department practitioner from the West Midlands and says operations are being cancelled because of staffing shortages. Patients can’t be operated upon if there’s no bed for them afterwards, nor staff to look after them. Sam thinks strike action to improve pay is the only way to protect and improve patient safety.

– Other unions either balloting or planning to ballot for industrial action in the NHS include the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB and Unite.
– 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 Strikes across the NHS edge closer as latest industrial action ballot begins first appeared on the UNISON National site.