Pic: South East Region Health Executive members, Mark Ladbrooke, elected to the general seat and Lilian Bold, elected to the low paid women's seat.

Both voted against the 3 year pay deal. But speaking as NHS staff and union activists  .... Lilian commented about how pay protection for unsocial hours will be taken out of her modest pay increases.
" The low paid are not only paying for our own pay raise, we are paying the price of keeping an increasingly unpopular Labour Government in power ... it will not escape low paid UNISON members, we are maybe low paid but we are not stupid and know when we are being short changed." "Why was it not possible to have the flat rate increase in the first year to add to last year's flat rise?" Mark added "last year we had a below inflation increase and the same again is promised for the next 3 years." The idea that the Pay Review Body will help us if inflation continues at its current rate (or above) is laughable - every member of the Pay Review Body is appointed by the government!" Three years of pay cuts isn't good enough. We need to vote NO and get together and campaign for better pay - taking industrial action - working to rule and even strike action if necessary. Waiting 3 years for the £420 for low paid workers is too little too late - how will people survive in the meantime?

Sheila Snooks - Senior Steward UNISON at Horton Hospital.
"Just not good enough - we should reject. Morale here in Banbury is high following our recent victory - we know can win!"

Ian McKendrick, nurse and steward OBMH. "Gordon Brown is cutting our wages to boost profits for the rich. The only way I can see us having any chance of winning a decent pay rise is if we join the teachers, college lecturers, local government and civil servants in joint strike action."

Viv Langton, Cardiographer JR. The new proposed pay rise is appalling with the cost of living continually increasing at a fast rate, how are individuals and families going to cope. An added worry and burden for the lower wage earner as usual.

Susan Parkinson, Medical Secretary JR steward and conference delegate. I can not believe the paltry amount that we are being offered and when we are told this is the best offer we can expect it is a disgrace. When you look at the figures over the 3 year period it is absolutely pathetic. Mortgages are in free fall, there is a credit crisis, more and more people spiralling in to uncontrollable debt problems, with many people unable to pay their mortgages with the possibility of homes being possessed. What a bleak future for the NHS.

ANON - Social workers under the NHS are paid a lower rate of pay than their counterparts, employed by Oxfordshire County Council. NHS pay over £2000  less at present. There is an even greater discrepancy in pay when a social worker is trained as an Approved Social Worker. The NHS pay £4000 less then if they were employed by Oxford County Council. At present Social workers employed by NHS have a catch up to do on the Pay Scale to make up the difference and even then their counterparts employed by OCC will still be ahead.

Mandy, Ward Administrator, OxComm community hospital. The government should be done for fraud - its not a pay increase but a pay cut! And it shouldn't be over 3 years - we will lose out time and time again. Should have gone for 5% like our local government colleagues.

Gail Hill - UNISON CONVENOR RIDGEWAY PARTNERSHIP
"I think that it is unfortunate that the Government insists on using the CPI as its index for measuring inflation and constantly quoting this when the RPI (including housing costs) is virtually double the rate. Individual peoples inflation rate is often much higher and at the lower end of the pay bands this makes any below inflation pay rise particularly harsh. This three year deal will not keep pace with inflation let alone make up for previous years lapses.
That said If I am being pragmatic in the current climate I am not wholly convinced that there is any room for manoeuvre by the Government to improve the offer. I am though like many also concerned that strike action can have a serious detrimental effect on the people we support in the Trust. They all receive 24 hour support and at the end of the day I could not in all honesty leave vulnerable adults un-supported. My view is that a strong rejection would send a clear message to Government but that we should withdraw goodwill before considering full strike action e.g. stop over time (most of our staff do not get paid overtime but are 'encouraged' into signing zero hours contracts), we should work to contract and employers might then realise how much 'extra value' many staff bring to their jobs.
I think the negotiating body should have a strong endorsement, without which their position is undermined and any likelihood of an improved offer recedes considerably."

Carol Hart - Pharmaceutical Contracts Officer
It is more important than ever before that we get this right now. We need a liveable wage and with everything else increasing (the utilities have just risen yet again) our salaries have to keep in line with this. How many more people will end up on benefits if salaries aren't in line with inflation? And please bear in mind the admin staff within the NHS. We have important roles to play but don't seem to be recognised for this. The recent Agenda for Change was a farce as far as admin staff are concerned, which resulted in so many of us on pay protection that we won't get a rise in salary for years anyway. However, if salary increases allow for inflation at least those on protection will catch up sooner rather than later.

Andy Barnard, Senior Management Accountant
"Rejecting means that we would have to take industrial action to secure a better deal." This implies that industrial action automatically gets a better deal. WRONG ! If we reject the 3 year deal we will have to take industrial action to get ANY sort of deal - the negotiating will start again at 0%, and the government's fundamental principle will be to make sure it isn't as good as the 3 year deal.
The teachers can be fobbed off with a fundamental review of terms and conditions, as well as their 2.45%, because they haven't had one for 20-odd years, the NHS can't be offered that, we've already had one - AfC - and it has amounted to 6% extra over and above the annual pay rises since 2004. The government's own estimate was 5.4% for basic pay, changes in hours, and annual leave, but it has cost more that that - I work in finance, I know.
We cannot strike indefinitely, the government know that, and they've got a better propaganda machine than us i.e. the right-wing press who will suddenly switch to their side on this issue.

Rachel Fox Medical Secretary JR, What a joke it is a pay cut for 3 years. With inflation on the rise and everything becoming more expensive. If a better offer is not forthcoming many staff will leave as they will not be able to afford to work in the NHS.

Mandy, Health Care Assistant - Community Hospital. You dont work for the NHS to become a millionaire - but this is terrible.

CK, HCA. "I get very little on band 2 - normally I have to work extra hours to survive ... We need the £420 NOW and next year not in 3 year's time. We have to work hard and pay is low. I'm always struggling to pay off my overdraft. I have children and we are always in debt."

Sheila, senior staff nurse The government is constantly trying to worm out of paying us to keep up with the Retail Price Index - they use the Consumer Price Index which doesn't take into account housing costs. As for the farce of the 10p income tax level its about time the government stopped squeezing workers.

Anon Carer in the community. We are getting a pound an hour less than our social service colleagues - 3 years of pay cuts - you must be joking - we are subsidising the NHS through our appalling petrol allowances as it is.

Richard Lohman. Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender Self Organised Group representative and Labour Link Officer.

This is a well-balanced package. The deal is worth 8% over 3 years and would mean 2.75% in the first year, 2.54% in the 2nd year establishing a new minimum wage of £6.77 an hour for all NHS staff with those on the lowest grade point receiving an increase of 5.7%. 2.5% in the third year, including a flat-rate increase of £420 worth 3.17% at the lowest point for the bottom 3 grades. Importantly the deal also includes a re-opener clause that allows the increases in year 2 and 3 to be reviewed if inflation is higher than expected.

Head of health Karen Jennings has said that the offer "adheres to the pay review body recommendations and is the highest in the public sector. It would set a new minimum wage, and gives more money to nurses, midwives and paramedics stuck at the top of their grades".

CONFERENCE REPORT, TREVOR GITTENS, porter ORHT.
I had the opportunity to go to the UNISON health care group conference in Manchester. This was most appreciated as I am a new  steward and came away with good insight on the workings of delegates and how to vote on motions.

The Sunday Times
The richest 1,000 people in Britain have seen their wealth quadruple under Labour, according to The Sunday Times Rich List. Even under Gordon Brown's brief premiership their fortunes have soared by 15%, just as the financial squeeze and faltering house prices have hit ordinary people.

The collective wealth of the 1,000 richest has jumped to 412 billion, up from 99 billion in 1997. Total net wealth during the same period has slightly more than doubled.

"The 11 years of Labour have been absolutely fantastic for the super-rich," said Philip Beresford, compiler of the list. "Having a friendly Labour government has almost been better than having a Tory one; it has neutered politicians on the left."

Teachers, Lecturers and Civil servants have already taken strike action against similar  below inflation pay offers - pic Oxford demonstration.

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Dave Prentis - GENERAL SECRETARY UNISON said:
“The spiralling cost of food and fuel is causing real hardship for public sector workers. It’s time for the Government to face up to the reality of inflation, which economists predict will rise further over the summer, and drop the unjust squeeze on public sector pay.

“The Government cannot expect public sector workers such as nurses, paramedics, care workers and social services staff to put up with yet another year of below inflation rises.

NOTE despite fiery national debates, the UNISON documents with the ballot papers will not advise members to vote either way.

SOUTHAMPTON UNISON BRANCH

Unison has NOT accepted the current pay award.
We want you to make the final decision.

 As a member led organisation, we want you to decide whether to accept or reject the current offer of a three-year staged pay deal. In order to ensure you get your say, please check that Unison has your correct contact details so you receive your ballot paper.  

Balloting will commence in May 08. Remember, YOU decide if this deal should be accepted or not. Not voting is a yes vote! 

Unison wants its members to be well informed on how this pay deal would affect them, so pick up a copy of the next weeks Unison Information leaflet.

Please call Unison Direct on 0845 355 0845 as soon as possible to ensure your details are up to date.

Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Our council has recommended that our members reject the award because it is a poor deal for midwives and other NHS staff. They are already seeing their pay falling in real terms as prices, from bread to mortgages, continues to rise. This is not a pay award, it is the road to a pay cut. The Government might as well reach into midwives' bank accounts and take their money, because this is what it amounts to”.

NHS EMPLOYERS -  are reported to be ‘cock-a-hoop’ at the pay offer.  Employers don't  like pay increases. The fact they are reportedly gloating over this package must say something.

Unite (Amicus section) Health Sector National Committee (HSNC), which met yesterday  (Tuesday, 22 April), unanimously rejected the three-year deal, worth 7.999%.

The three-year pay deal is being heavily promoted by the government and NHS Chief Executive, David Nicholson, who has warned that this year’s award could be staged, if unions don’t accept the three-year pay package.

Unite Head of Health, Kevin Coyne said today: ‘We can’t be tied to a three-year deal, given the future uncertainties in the economy and the inflationary pressures that our hard-working members are experiencing on a daily basis.’

A Nursing Times online poll of more than 2,400 NT readers found 71% said they did not want to accept the offer and 75% were unhappy with the idea of a multi-year deal.

RCN welcomes three-year pay agreement for nurses. Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said: "We have always said we would only consider signing up to a three year pay deal if it was fair and offered nurses protection against future rises in inflation. We are delighted to put the RCN's name to a proposal that does just that.

UNISON Head of Health, Karen Jennings:
“The proposed deal adheres to the pay review body recommendations and is the highest in the public sector. It would set a new minimum wage of £6.77 an hour from next year and gives more money to nurses, midwives and paramedics stuck at the top of their grades.

“It does offer pay stability over the next three years. We will be asking our executive to consider recommending this deal to members as a well-balanced package in the forthcoming consultation. And we will expect private sector contractors in the NHS to implement the deal for their low-paid workers following agreement.”

There is a formal commitment to future talks on reducing the working week and a reducing the number of pay points in grades, that will allow people to progress their salaries more fairly.

The proposals include a new facilities agreement for local trade union representatives to provide greater resources and time to participate in local partnership working arrangements.

Congratulations to Karen on being selected as prospective parliamentary candidate for Hornsey & Wood Green in London. More information at http://www.karenjennings.org/