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UNISON PAY CONSULTATION - see pay "QUOTES" The government has made an offer of a 3 year pay deal to NHS staff. It will pay a 2.75% increase from April 2008, 2.54% from April 2009 and 2.25% from April 2010. Below are the pros and cons union members are divided about whether to accept or reject this offer. Rejecting means that we would have to take industrial action to secure a better deal. |
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| Reasons to accept the pay offer. | Reasons to reject the offer. |
| Will total 7.9%* by the end of the 3 years - gives security so we know what to plan for and assures prompt payment each April. | Worth an average of 2.51% each year. Less than inflation - 3 years of pay cuts. Not everyone will get the 8.1%. This is the total cost on the NHS pay bill. |
| Inflation is currently 4.1 % (RPI) and may start falling. If it doesn't then its agreed we can always go back to the Pay Review Body and ask for more. | Inflation is 4.1 % and may go up. Last year inflation was 4.7% and the government appointed Pay Review Body just recommended 2.5% so we had a cut in the value of our pay. This would be 4 years of pay cuts. Asking them for more does not seem to work! |
| It contains a flat rate element for the lowest paid - £420! | Only in the 3rd year does the flat rate element come in. What about years one and two? Percentages favour the highest paid. |
| Next year's lowest NHS pay will be above this year's minimum pay target. | But next year's NHS pay will still be below next year's minimum pay target. |
| The lowest point on band 1 is to be abolished next year. Will benefit new starters at the bottom of band 1 and those working for private contractors. | Hardly anyone is on point 1 of band 1. Our aim was to abolish the whole band and move everyone from 1 to band 2. Private contractor staff should be progressing through the pay points. |
| We are shortening band 5 thereby giving band 5 staff slightly bigger annual increments. | Good, but under the perceptorship system many people get through band 5 very fast anyway. |
| The employers are talking to us about improving working lives again! | Improving Working Lives - but not through keeping our wages up with inflation? More Indian Head massages in the lunch break? |
| The employers will talk to us about moving towards the 35 hour work week sometime in the future. | Not a very firm commitment and they wont fund any changes - we are going to have to be 'more productive' for them to consider it - after 3 years. |
| National facilities agreement to give stewards more time for union duties. | Good but little in the way of firm commitments - hardly an improvement on current legal rights. |
| No effort required to agree - just sign on the dotted line. No need to campaign, lobby and even take industrial action. | Need to work together with 6 million other public sector workers to win a decent rise for everyone. Need to join a union, elect reps and get organised. |
| Read more www.unison.org.uk/healthcare | Read more www.unison.org.uk/paymatters |
* note there is a small element of the pay proposals which goes into the 4th year - its worth just over 0.1% on the pay bill.
Please tell us your views below, we will put them in our next branch newsetter.