Category: Article

Health workers in South West celebrate double lump-sum victory

Hundreds of hospital workers in the South West are celebrating victory after NHS and Sodexo respectively committed to paying the lump sum bonuses due to them.

The one-off payment, part of a deal agreed for all staff on NHS contracts and Agenda for Change, is worth at least £1,655 for full-time health workers.

Wiltshire

Staff at Wiltshire’s six community hospitals had taken two days of strike action (pictured above) over the company’s previous refusal to honour the payment, already given to health workers employed directly by the NHS in June 2022.

Wiltshire Health and Care initially said it could not afford to pay the workers. After pressure from UNISON members, Wiltshire Health and Care successfully applied for funding from the Department of Health and Social Care.

Wiltshire Health and Care is a Limited Liability Partnership, created in 2014 by three NHS trusts – Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

North Devon

In North Devon, staff employed by Sodexo took two days of strike action (pictured below) in February over the company’s previous refusal to honour the payment.

Sodexo workers on a picket line, holding purple UNISON flags

Sodexo workers picketing in North Devon

In response, Sodexo offered to pay 80% of the sum while they awaited news on their application to the Department of Health and Social Care for the remaining 20%. UNISON members voted to suspend planned action for March and accepted their offer.

Sodexo’s successful application to the Department of Health and Social Care now means that over 300 workers will receive the final 20% of the lump sum in their April pay packet.

UNISON South West regional secretary Kerry Baigent said: “This is a victory for hundreds of low-paid health workers. These workers shouldn’t have had to go on strike and lose money to win the cash that’s rightfully theirs.

Speaking of the victory in Wiltshire, Ms Baigent said: “The three Trusts should have done more to ensure that Wiltshire Health and Care workers received the lump sum at the same time as their directly employed staff. Health workers employed by private firms shouldn’t be treated less favourably or earn less an hour only because they no longer work for the NHS.”

In regard to workers in North Devon, she said: “Hundreds of staff standing on the picket line created pressure that focused the minds of Sodexo executives and resulted in staff accepting an offer for 80% of the lump sum. Now, after this decision, they’ll be getting 100%.

“But Sodexo generates huge profits and had the ability to pay its staff all along. It could have easily avoided these strikes.

“In 2025, Sodexo’s contract for the service is up for renewal. It’s time our members are brought back in house alongside their NHS colleagues where they belong.”

The article Health workers in South West celebrate double lump-sum victory first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Health workers in South West celebrate double lump-sum victory

Hundreds of hospital workers in the South West are celebrating victory after NHS and Sodexo respectively committed to paying the lump sum bonuses due to them.

The one-off payment, part of a deal agreed for all staff on NHS contracts and Agenda for Change, is worth at least £1,655 for full-time health workers.

Wiltshire

Staff at Wiltshire’s six community hospitals had taken two days of strike action (pictured above) over the company’s previous refusal to honour the payment, already given to health workers employed directly by the NHS in June 2022.

Wiltshire Health and Care initially said it could not afford to pay the workers. After pressure from UNISON members, Wiltshire Health and Care successfully applied for funding from the Department of Health and Social Care.

Wiltshire Health and Care is a Limited Liability Partnership, created in 2014 by three NHS trusts – Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

North Devon

In North Devon, staff employed by Sodexo took two days of strike action (pictured below) in February over the company’s previous refusal to honour the payment.

Sodexo workers on a picket line, holding purple UNISON flags

Sodexo workers picketing in North Devon

In response, Sodexo offered to pay 80% of the sum while they awaited news on their application to the Department of Health and Social Care for the remaining 20%. UNISON members voted to suspend planned action for March and accepted their offer.

Sodexo’s successful application to the Department of Health and Social Care now means that over 300 workers will receive the final 20% of the lump sum in their April pay packet.

UNISON South West regional secretary Kerry Baigent said: “This is a victory for hundreds of low-paid health workers. These workers shouldn’t have had to go on strike and lose money to win the cash that’s rightfully theirs.

Speaking of the victory in Wiltshire, Ms Baigent said: “The three Trusts should have done more to ensure that Wiltshire Health and Care workers received the lump sum at the same time as their directly employed staff. Health workers employed by private firms shouldn’t be treated less favourably or earn less an hour only because they no longer work for the NHS.”

In regard to workers in North Devon, she said: “Hundreds of staff standing on the picket line created pressure that focused the minds of Sodexo executives and resulted in staff accepting an offer for 80% of the lump sum. Now, after this decision, they’ll be getting 100%.

“But Sodexo generates huge profits and had the ability to pay its staff all along. It could have easily avoided these strikes.

“In 2025, Sodexo’s contract for the service is up for renewal. It’s time our members are brought back in house alongside their NHS colleagues where they belong.”

The article Health workers in South West celebrate double lump-sum victory first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Barriers for disabled staff in the health service need to be lowered

Annette Heslop (pictured above) for the nursing and midwifery occupational group moved a motion on ensuring reasonable adjustments for healthcare students on clinical placements.

Equality law gives disabled workers the right to reasonable adjustments where they experience substantial disadvantage. However, as students are not classed as employees, some struggle on clinical placements to access reasonable adjustments.

Ms Heslop said that, in such a situation, it was no surprise that students dropped out. “We must ensure that all students are supported on their placements,” she concluded.

In a related motion, the national disabled members’ committee raised the issue of “making accessibility passports work in the health sector”.

An NHS disability survey has revealed that 28% of disabled workers in the NHS in England still aren’t getting the reasonable adjustments they should be entitled to in order to break down the barriers they face in the workplace.

UNISON’s accessibility passports ensure that reasonable adjustments don’t need to be renegotiated every time an employee moves in the workplace.

Conference backed the motion, though as one speaker put it: “We need to move away from the use of language of ‘reasonable adjustments’ – they’re essential adjustments”.

The final motion in this tranche around disabled members’ issues, was also from the national disabled members’ committee, and called on the service group executive to help in “asserting our rights to disability and carers’ leave”.’

The article Barriers for disabled staff in the health service need to be lowered first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Barriers for disabled staff in the health service need to be lowered

Annette Heslop (pictured above) for the nursing and midwifery occupational group moved a motion on ensuring reasonable adjustments for healthcare students on clinical placements.

Equality law gives disabled workers the right to reasonable adjustments where they experience substantial disadvantage. However, as students are not classed as employees, some struggle on clinical placements to access reasonable adjustments.

Ms Heslop said that, in such a situation, it was no surprise that students dropped out. “We must ensure that all students are supported on their placements,” she concluded.

In a related motion, the national disabled members’ committee raised the issue of “making accessibility passports work in the health sector”.

An NHS disability survey has revealed that 28% of disabled workers in the NHS in England still aren’t getting the reasonable adjustments they should be entitled to in order to break down the barriers they face in the workplace.

UNISON’s accessibility passports ensure that reasonable adjustments don’t need to be renegotiated every time an employee moves in the workplace.

Conference backed the motion, though as one speaker put it: “We need to move away from the use of language of ‘reasonable adjustments’ – they’re essential adjustments”.

The final motion in this tranche around disabled members’ issues, was also from the national disabled members’ committee, and called on the service group executive to help in “asserting our rights to disability and carers’ leave”.’

The article Barriers for disabled staff in the health service need to be lowered first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON will continue to strengthen the Race for Equality campaign

In a motion on equipping branches to tackle race discrimination in the NHS, the health service group executive stressed that UNISON is continuing to strengthen its Race for Equality campaign that was a centrepiece to the union’s Year of Black Workers in 2023.

Maria Alberts for the service group executive told delegates: “Racism does exist in the NHS”.

She cited Too Hot to Handle, a report that “shines a light” on the lack of safe and effective means to report and then tackle problems, with, for instance, 63% of Black workers surveyed saying that they were subjected to greater scrutiny than white colleagues.

Delegates called on the executive to carry out a number of actions, including:

  • continuing to resource and run the Race for Equality campaign to challenge racism in the NHS
  • running practical workshops addressing the issues facing Black staff in the health service
  • developing and providing additional training opportunities for branches and regions.

In separate motions, delegates also backed moves to continue to increase the participation of Black members in the sector, and to “tackling racism in the nursing family”.

As one speaker called on delegates: “Be an ally. Call it [racism] out … Be our voices in the rooms we are not in.”

Delegates passed all motions unanimously.

The article UNISON will continue to strengthen the Race for Equality campaign first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON will continue to strengthen the Race for Equality campaign

In a motion on equipping branches to tackle race discrimination in the NHS, the health service group executive stressed that UNISON is continuing to strengthen its Race for Equality campaign that was a centrepiece to the union’s Year of Black Workers in 2023.

Maria Alberts for the service group executive told delegates: “Racism does exist in the NHS”.

She cited Too Hot to Handle, a report that “shines a light” on the lack of safe and effective means to report and then tackle problems, with, for instance, 63% of Black workers surveyed saying that they were subjected to greater scrutiny than white colleagues.

Delegates called on the executive to carry out a number of actions, including:

  • continuing to resource and run the Race for Equality campaign to challenge racism in the NHS
  • running practical workshops addressing the issues facing Black staff in the health service
  • developing and providing additional training opportunities for branches and regions.

In separate motions, delegates also backed moves to continue to increase the participation of Black members in the sector, and to “tackling racism in the nursing family”.

As one speaker called on delegates: “Be an ally. Call it [racism] out … Be our voices in the rooms we are not in.”

Delegates passed all motions unanimously.

The article UNISON will continue to strengthen the Race for Equality campaign first appeared on the UNISON National site.

LGBT+ equality is top priority at health conference

The opening debates at UNISON’s health service group conference, which began this morning in Brighton, emphasised the union’s equalities work.

In the conference’s opening motion, the national LGBT+ committee addressed the Year of LGBT+ Workers and its importance in embedding LGBT+ equality in health.

Moving the motion for the committee, Adam Williams (pictured above) took the opportunity to stress the great work that has been done by the union on LGBT+ equality, but pointing out that there is still much needed, given that LGBT+ people experience significantly greater risks of abuse and violence.

He urged delegates to “educate ourselves about making our union and workplaces safer for our LGBT+ colleagues.”

A further speaker highlighted how, when governments attack LGBT+ rights, you can be sure they’ll also be targeting migrants’ rights, women’s rights and workers’ rights.

James Shepherd from the Northern region said that, as a newly-recruited activist, the year is vital. He called on branches to get involved – and particularly to access the union’s trans ally training – given that the Westminster government, and much of the UK’s news media, is demonising and attacking trans people.

Tania Pretswell, speaking on behalf of the national committee, told conference that the service group executive will be taking trans ally training. Ms Pretswell proudly cited the history of supporting lesbian and gay rights as NUPE – one of UNISON’s founding unions – going back to 1981.

Delegates unanimously backed the motion, which, among a range of calls, urged the executive to “encourage and support the development of activism amongst our health LGBT+ members”, and to “promote and encourage participation in equality training and trans ally training”.

The article LGBT+ equality is top priority at health conference first appeared on the UNISON National site.

LGBT+ equality is top priority at health conference

The opening debates at UNISON’s health service group conference, which began this morning in Brighton, emphasised the union’s equalities work.

In the conference’s opening motion, the national LGBT+ committee addressed the Year of LGBT+ Workers and its importance in embedding LGBT+ equality in health.

Moving the motion for the committee, Adam Williams (pictured above) took the opportunity to stress the great work that has been done by the union on LGBT+ equality, but pointing out that there is still much needed, given that LGBT+ people experience significantly greater risks of abuse and violence.

He urged delegates to “educate ourselves about making our union and workplaces safer for our LGBT+ colleagues.”

A further speaker highlighted how, when governments attack LGBT+ rights, you can be sure they’ll also be targeting migrants’ rights, women’s rights and workers’ rights.

James Shepherd from the Northern region said that, as a newly-recruited activist, the year is vital. He called on branches to get involved – and particularly to access the union’s trans ally training – given that the Westminster government, and much of the UK’s news media, is demonising and attacking trans people.

Tania Pretswell, speaking on behalf of the national committee, told conference that the service group executive will be taking trans ally training. Ms Pretswell proudly cited the history of supporting lesbian and gay rights as NUPE – one of UNISON’s founding unions – going back to 1981.

Delegates unanimously backed the motion, which, among a range of calls, urged the executive to “encourage and support the development of activism amongst our health LGBT+ members”, and to “promote and encourage participation in equality training and trans ally training”.

The article LGBT+ equality is top priority at health conference first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON health conference opens in Brighton

UNISON’s annual national health service group conference opened in Brighton this morning, with union president Libby Nolan (pictured above) saying that it had been a “really tough year for us…We say that every year, don’t we?”

Sending “solidarity” to ambulance workers, she noted that, as ambulances queue outside A&E departments, unable to hand over patients to hospitals because of waiting times, they are bearing the brunt of the crisis in the NHS.

Elsewhere, applauding a recent back-pay win, she told delegates that, while people join UNISON for different reasons, she had joined the union to increase her wages.

“We can put so much money in people’s pockets” when members stick together, she said – money that could help members not having to apply to the union’s charity, There for You, for winter fuel grants.

Wilma Brown speaking at UNISON 2024 health service group conference

Wilma Brown, chair of the service group executive (pictured above), also addressed conference, saying “it’s also been a successful year.

“One Team for Patient Care is our slogan for conference – we live and breathe [solidarity] every day.”

“Ours is a union for everyone,” she told delegates.

Citing the recent win by Dudley Mitie health support workers in their struggle to get the private employer pay them the COVID-19 bonus promised by the government at Westminster, she pointed out that the situation illustrates why outsourcing is so bad and that such workers should be brought back in house.

The article UNISON health conference opens in Brighton first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON health conference opens in Brighton

UNISON’s annual national health service group conference opened in Brighton this morning, with union president Libby Nolan (pictured above) saying that it had been a “really tough year for us…We say that every year, don’t we?”

Sending “solidarity” to ambulance workers, she noted that, as ambulances queue outside A&E departments, unable to hand over patients to hospitals because of waiting times, they are bearing the brunt of the crisis in the NHS.

Elsewhere, applauding a recent back-pay win, she told delegates that, while people join UNISON for different reasons, she had joined the union to increase her wages.

“We can put so much money in people’s pockets” when members stick together, she said – money that could help members not having to apply to the union’s charity, There for You, for winter fuel grants.

Wilma Brown speaking at UNISON 2024 health service group conference

Wilma Brown, chair of the service group executive (pictured above), also addressed conference, saying “it’s also been a successful year.

“One Team for Patient Care is our slogan for conference – we live and breathe [solidarity] every day.”

“Ours is a union for everyone,” she told delegates.

Citing the recent win by Dudley Mitie health support workers in their struggle to get the private employer pay them the COVID-19 bonus promised by the government at Westminster, she pointed out that the situation illustrates why outsourcing is so bad and that such workers should be brought back in house.

The article UNISON health conference opens in Brighton first appeared on the UNISON National site.