Delegates at UNISON’s annual health care conference in Brighton have this week given an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote to an industrial action ballot over pay.
Speaker after speaker, angrily condemned the UK Government’s decision not to pay the full Pay Review Body award to NHS staff in England.
The UK government will only allow the pay award to be paid to staff at the top of theirincremental scale. And to add insult to injury, the pay rise will be non-consolidated. All other staff will not receive the pay award. This means
that 60% of NHS staff and 70% of nurses in England will not get any pay award this year.
Christina McAnea, UNISON’s Head of Health, said: “Demand for NHS services is increasing and funding has been cut regardless of what the Westminster Government says and they want you and our members to make up the shortfall by cutting pay and conditions.”
“We face a Government in England deliberately provoking us into a dispute and so no doubt they are already preparing for this. So we must
be prepared.”
The strike ballot will go ahead in England, but talks will be held over UNISON’s position in Scotland because of the different approach being taken by the Scottish Government.
