Category: pay review body

Pay rise for thousands of NHS staff already overdue

The government has let down hundreds of thousands of “demoralised” NHS staff after yet again failing to honour the due date for their annual pay increase, says UNISON today (Friday).

The union has written to health secretary Victoria Atkins to say government delays are to blame for workers not receiving their 2024/25 wage rise, which was due on Easter Monday.

With the cost-of-living crisis far from over, the government’s silence on NHS pay means health staff remain in the dark about how to budget, adds the union.

And with ministers choosing the lengthy NHS pay review body process over direct talks with unions, staff are likely to be left out of pocket for many more months, UNISON says.

To add insult to injury, the week when health workers should have found out how much the government intends to pay them this year is also when many of their household bills rose significantly.

From this week, millions of people will be paying substantially more for their council tax, water, broadband, mobile phones and TV licences.

Nurses, cleaners, ambulance workers and other NHS staff now “face months of uncertainty” because the government was late beginning the pay review process and in submitting its own evidence, the union’s letter explains.

The letter to Victoria Atkins goes on to say that a “desperately needed annual pay rise” is vital to help staff “pay their bills and stop the steady stream of their colleagues leaving for better-paid jobs elsewhere”.

Frustration with the government’s handling of pay means staff at every level of the NHS – including operating department workers, porters, 999 call handlers, nurses and healthcare assistants – have already made up their minds to leave their current jobs, the letter adds.

And there’s a particular problem with the staff on the lowest NHS pay bands who now earn just a penny more an hour than the statutory minimum wage, says UNISON.

To ensure the wages they pay remain within the law, employers are now having to deny these workers access to salary-deduction schemes?that?previously helped staff pay for essentials like workplace parking, childcare and?their travel to work.

The letter says each month that passes without a pay deal is “a wasted opportunity by government to give staff a reason to stay” in the NHS.

The more staff who leave, the greater “the mammoth task” of reducing treatment waiting lists and unfilled vacancies, according to the letter to the health secretary.

Supermarkets including Aldi, Tesco and Lidl are now paying at least the real living wage of £12 an hour, which is 55p higher than the lowest NHS pay rates.

UNISON’s letter says low-paid NHS staff are understandably quitting to take up these more lucrative, less stressful jobs, which could see them as much as £80 a month better off.

The letter adds: “It’s no wonder low-paid NHS staff are leaving to seize these opportunities of an immediate extra pay boost, money that can make the difference between putting food on the table or seeing their families go hungry.”

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “Health workers should know what wage rise they’re getting on the day it’s due.

“But instead of doing everything possible to hang on to demoralised NHS employees, government delays over pay are simply giving staff another reason to leave.

“Ministers say they want to get waiting lists down, but if the gaps in NHS staffing worsen, this will remain an impossible pipe dream.

“Making the workforce feel valued by awarding a decent pay rise on time could prove enough to persuade exhausted staff to stay. Employers too want a prompt wage settlement, so they can budget for it, vacancies don’t worsen, patients get the quality care they deserve and delays for treatment reduce.

“It’s clearer than ever the pay review body process is no longer able to achieve what it was set up to do. The time it takes to recommend the yearly wage rise is actually damaging the NHS. Direct pay talks would be far quicker and simpler. The government is in danger of missing an open goal.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON’s annual health conference takes place next week from Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 April. It takes place at the Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2GR. Health workers from across the UK will be in attendance to debate a variety of motions including NHS pay, mileage rates, bank staff, shorter working weeks, support for healthcare students, tackling racism, mental health, sexual safety, healthcare assistant rebanding, artificial intelligence and safe staffing. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea will address the conference on Tuesday morning.
– 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
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Pay rise for thousands of NHS staff already overdue first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Pay rise for thousands of NHS staff already overdue

The government has let down hundreds of thousands of “demoralised” NHS staff after yet again failing to honour the due date for their annual pay increase, says UNISON today (Friday).

The union has written to health secretary Victoria Atkins to say government delays are to blame for workers not receiving their 2024/25 wage rise, which was due on Easter Monday.

With the cost-of-living crisis far from over, the government’s silence on NHS pay means health staff remain in the dark about how to budget, adds the union.

And with ministers choosing the lengthy NHS pay review body process over direct talks with unions, staff are likely to be left out of pocket for many more months, UNISON says.

To add insult to injury, the week when health workers should have found out how much the government intends to pay them this year is also when many of their household bills rose significantly.

From this week, millions of people will be paying substantially more for their council tax, water, broadband, mobile phones and TV licences.

Nurses, cleaners, ambulance workers and other NHS staff now “face months of uncertainty” because the government was late beginning the pay review process and in submitting its own evidence, the union’s letter explains.

The letter to Victoria Atkins goes on to say that a “desperately needed annual pay rise” is vital to help staff “pay their bills and stop the steady stream of their colleagues leaving for better-paid jobs elsewhere”.

Frustration with the government’s handling of pay means staff at every level of the NHS – including operating department workers, porters, 999 call handlers, nurses and healthcare assistants – have already made up their minds to leave their current jobs, the letter adds.

And there’s a particular problem with the staff on the lowest NHS pay bands who now earn just a penny more an hour than the statutory minimum wage, says UNISON.

To ensure the wages they pay remain within the law, employers are now having to deny these workers access to salary-deduction schemes?that?previously helped staff pay for essentials like workplace parking, childcare and?their travel to work.

The letter says each month that passes without a pay deal is “a wasted opportunity by government to give staff a reason to stay” in the NHS.

The more staff who leave, the greater “the mammoth task” of reducing treatment waiting lists and unfilled vacancies, according to the letter to the health secretary.

Supermarkets including Aldi, Tesco and Lidl are now paying at least the real living wage of £12 an hour, which is 55p higher than the lowest NHS pay rates.

UNISON’s letter says low-paid NHS staff are understandably quitting to take up these more lucrative, less stressful jobs, which could see them as much as £80 a month better off.

The letter adds: “It’s no wonder low-paid NHS staff are leaving to seize these opportunities of an immediate extra pay boost, money that can make the difference between putting food on the table or seeing their families go hungry.”

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “Health workers should know what wage rise they’re getting on the day it’s due.

“But instead of doing everything possible to hang on to demoralised NHS employees, government delays over pay are simply giving staff another reason to leave.

“Ministers say they want to get waiting lists down, but if the gaps in NHS staffing worsen, this will remain an impossible pipe dream.

“Making the workforce feel valued by awarding a decent pay rise on time could prove enough to persuade exhausted staff to stay. Employers too want a prompt wage settlement, so they can budget for it, vacancies don’t worsen, patients get the quality care they deserve and delays for treatment reduce.

“It’s clearer than ever the pay review body process is no longer able to achieve what it was set up to do. The time it takes to recommend the yearly wage rise is actually damaging the NHS. Direct pay talks would be far quicker and simpler. The government is in danger of missing an open goal.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON’s annual health conference takes place next week from Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 April. It takes place at the Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2GR. Health workers from across the UK will be in attendance to debate a variety of motions including NHS pay, mileage rates, bank staff, shorter working weeks, support for healthcare students, tackling racism, mental health, sexual safety, healthcare assistant rebanding, artificial intelligence and safe staffing. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea will address the conference on Tuesday morning.
– 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
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Pay rise for thousands of NHS staff already overdue first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Put pay right and start to solve the NHS’ many problems

A proper pay rise for NHS staff in England this year is essential if there is to be any hope of filling the huge vacancies hole and stopping waiting lists from spiralling, says UNISON today (Friday).

The union – representing ambulance workers, nurses, cleaners, medical secretaries, occupational therapists, porters and a whole host of other NHS staff – has urged Victoria Atkins to convene pay talks.

UNISON says this would be the best way to agree the wage rise due in April, improve the experience of patients and avoid a repeat of last year’s strike action.

UNISON, which is the biggest union in the NHS, has this week written to the health secretary setting out the case for sustained investment in the workforce.

UNISON has also notified the acting chair of the NHS pay review body (PRB) of its decision to do this rather than submitting evidence. This is because the union says the PRB process takes too long, and is neither sufficiently independent, nor fit for purpose.

Health workers are disappointed by the government’s decision to fall back once again on the lengthy review-body process to set pay, says UNISON. The very fact Victoria Atkins didn’t get the PRB ball rolling until December means staff already know they won’t be getting this year’s wage increase on time, adds the union.

But pay is of real concern. In a recent UNISON survey, over a third (38%) of health workers said they were unable to concentrate at work because they were worrying about their finances.

The cost-of-living crisis has hit working families hard, and health workers are no exception, says UNISON. In the same poll, more than two-thirds (68%) said their rent or mortgage has risen considerably over the past year. And more than half (53%) expect their housing costs to go up significantly in the coming 12 months.

As a result, over a third (35%) of NHS staff told UNISON they had to take on extra shifts to get by, adding to an increased risk of stress and burnout, the union warns.

More worryingly, says UNISON, increased housing costs have already prompted three in ten (31%) to start looking for better-paying jobs outside the NHS, raising fears that staffing shortages could yet worsen.

Vacancy rates remain stubbornly high across every part of the NHS in England, says UNISON. With trusts more than 110,000 staff short, the impact on workload, morale and patient care is huge, adds the union.

UNISON acting head of health Helga Pile said: “There’s a staffing emergency across every part of the NHS in England. There are simply too few health workers to meet increasing demand. That leaves staff stretched ever more thinly as they try desperately to deliver quality care to patients.

“It took many days of strikes to get last year’s pay rise agreed, but since then inflation has failed to fall as far, or as fast, as experts predicted. With the lump sums that helped settle the dispute no longer part of their pay packets, health workers now think they got a raw deal and will expect a better settlement in 2024.

“As it stands, NHS staff on the lowest pay band will be earning just a penny an hour above the minimum wage when it rises in April and their salaries are well short of the real living wage.

“If the government fails to put pay right, the picture looks bleak for the NHS and everyone needing its care. Decent wage increases this year won’t solve all the health service’s problems, but they could help keep experienced employees in their jobs and attract new recruits.

“With more staff at its disposal, the NHS would be in a much better place to get backlogs, waits and delays down. That can only be good news for patients who will be seen and treated more quickly.”

As well as a decent pay rise for 2024/25, UNISON wants to see NHS staff on the correct salary bands, and a push for a shorter working week. While this may not be achievable overnight, a better work-life balance would ease employee stress and burnout, help retain staff and reduce the need for costly agency workers, says UNISON.

And all too often NHS staff are working above their salary bands, it adds. There should be yearly reviews to ensure people are getting the correct rate for the job*. Otherwise, health workers will feel increasingly taken for granted and more likely to leave for workplaces where they’ll be better appreciated, warns UNISON.

Notes to editors:
– The UNISON survey was conducted online last autumn and around 40,000 responses were received from NHS staff in England.
– Put NHS pay right, UNISON’s case for investing in the NHS workforce, can be found here.
– The minimum wage is rising to £11.44 an hour in April. Staff on the bottom of Agenda for Change band 2 are currently on an hourly rate of £11.45. The real living wage is £12 an hour (£13.15 in London).
– *Healthcare assistants tend to be on band 2 but regularly undertake complex tasks more in line with the higher band 3 salary. UNISON campaigns have already seen thousands of healthcare assistants regraded on to higher salaries and many others are currently pushing for their pay to be similarly corrected.
– In Northern Ireland, health unions are about to enter intensive talks over the 2023/24 pay rise, with the PRB expected to also make recommendations for their pay for 2024/25. In Wales, the health minister only issued a PRB remit on 30 January and UNISON expects to set out a similar case for investment in the NHS workforce there. In Scotland, unions have submitted a pay claim and hope talks will start soon.
– 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 and start to solve the NHS’ many problems first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Put pay right and start to solve the NHS’ many problems

A proper pay rise for NHS staff in England this year is essential if there is to be any hope of filling the huge vacancies hole and stopping waiting lists from spiralling, says UNISON today (Friday).

The union – representing ambulance workers, nurses, cleaners, medical secretaries, occupational therapists, porters and a whole host of other NHS staff – has urged Victoria Atkins to convene pay talks.

UNISON says this would be the best way to agree the wage rise due in April, improve the experience of patients and avoid a repeat of last year’s strike action.

UNISON, which is the biggest union in the NHS, has this week written to the health secretary setting out the case for sustained investment in the workforce.

UNISON has also notified the acting chair of the NHS pay review body (PRB) of its decision to do this rather than submitting evidence. This is because the union says the PRB process takes too long, and is neither sufficiently independent, nor fit for purpose.

Health workers are disappointed by the government’s decision to fall back once again on the lengthy review-body process to set pay, says UNISON. The very fact Victoria Atkins didn’t get the PRB ball rolling until December means staff already know they won’t be getting this year’s wage increase on time, adds the union.

But pay is of real concern. In a recent UNISON survey, over a third (38%) of health workers said they were unable to concentrate at work because they were worrying about their finances.

The cost-of-living crisis has hit working families hard, and health workers are no exception, says UNISON. In the same poll, more than two-thirds (68%) said their rent or mortgage has risen considerably over the past year. And more than half (53%) expect their housing costs to go up significantly in the coming 12 months.

As a result, over a third (35%) of NHS staff told UNISON they had to take on extra shifts to get by, adding to an increased risk of stress and burnout, the union warns.

More worryingly, says UNISON, increased housing costs have already prompted three in ten (31%) to start looking for better-paying jobs outside the NHS, raising fears that staffing shortages could yet worsen.

Vacancy rates remain stubbornly high across every part of the NHS in England, says UNISON. With trusts more than 110,000 staff short, the impact on workload, morale and patient care is huge, adds the union.

UNISON acting head of health Helga Pile said: “There’s a staffing emergency across every part of the NHS in England. There are simply too few health workers to meet increasing demand. That leaves staff stretched ever more thinly as they try desperately to deliver quality care to patients.

“It took many days of strikes to get last year’s pay rise agreed, but since then inflation has failed to fall as far, or as fast, as experts predicted. With the lump sums that helped settle the dispute no longer part of their pay packets, health workers now think they got a raw deal and will expect a better settlement in 2024.

“As it stands, NHS staff on the lowest pay band will be earning just a penny an hour above the minimum wage when it rises in April and their salaries are well short of the real living wage.

“If the government fails to put pay right, the picture looks bleak for the NHS and everyone needing its care. Decent wage increases this year won’t solve all the health service’s problems, but they could help keep experienced employees in their jobs and attract new recruits.

“With more staff at its disposal, the NHS would be in a much better place to get backlogs, waits and delays down. That can only be good news for patients who will be seen and treated more quickly.”

As well as a decent pay rise for 2024/25, UNISON wants to see NHS staff on the correct salary bands, and a push for a shorter working week. While this may not be achievable overnight, a better work-life balance would ease employee stress and burnout, help retain staff and reduce the need for costly agency workers, says UNISON.

And all too often NHS staff are working above their salary bands, it adds. There should be yearly reviews to ensure people are getting the correct rate for the job*. Otherwise, health workers will feel increasingly taken for granted and more likely to leave for workplaces where they’ll be better appreciated, warns UNISON.

Notes to editors:
– The UNISON survey was conducted online last autumn and around 40,000 responses were received from NHS staff in England.
– Put NHS pay right, UNISON’s case for investing in the NHS workforce, can be found here.
– The minimum wage is rising to £11.44 an hour in April. Staff on the bottom of Agenda for Change band 2 are currently on an hourly rate of £11.45. The real living wage is £12 an hour (£13.15 in London).
– *Healthcare assistants tend to be on band 2 but regularly undertake complex tasks more in line with the higher band 3 salary. UNISON campaigns have already seen thousands of healthcare assistants regraded on to higher salaries and many others are currently pushing for their pay to be similarly corrected.
– In Northern Ireland, health unions are about to enter intensive talks over the 2023/24 pay rise, with the PRB expected to also make recommendations for their pay for 2024/25. In Wales, the health minister only issued a PRB remit on 30 January and UNISON expects to set out a similar case for investment in the NHS workforce there. In Scotland, unions have submitted a pay claim and hope talks will start soon.
– 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 and start to solve the NHS’ many problems 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.