NHS pay review body remit is ‘too narrow’, says Unite
18 December 2008
The independent Pay Review Body (PRB) has ‘too narrow a remit’
to tackle the current pay and employment conditions in the NHS,
Unite the Union has said.
Unite, the largest union in the country, was commenting after
the PRB declined to recommend to Health Secretary, Alan Johnson
that the‘re-opener’ clause be triggered on the current three-year
pay deal.
Unite’s National Officer for Health, Karen Reay said: ‘Our
members voted overwhelmingly to reject the three-year pay deal
imposed by the government. The PRB report is a bitter blow and we
think its remit is too narrow when looking at the overall pay and
employment conditions for NHS staff.’
Unite’s National Officer for Health, David Fleming said: ‘It
should be made clear that Unite is still in dispute with the four
health departments of the UK over the pay deal which is well below
the current rate of inflation and that we have a democratic mandate
for industrial action up to and including strike action.’
‘It is firmly in the hands of government to resolve this dispute
early in 2009. We call, once more, on the government to enter
into meaningful talks on the issue of a realistic pay deal for
hard-working NHS staff.’
A joint meeting of Unite’s Health Sector National Industrial
Committee – to be attended by representatives from both the Amicus
and TGWU sections – will meet on 12 January ‘to agree the way
forward’. Unite NHS members held a day of industrial action on 3
December over pay.
-ends-
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
- Members voted by 76% to 23% to take part in industrial action
short of a strike. There was a 53% vote in favour of strike action,
with 45% against.
- Unite’s policy is to defend and strengthen the independence of
the Pay Review Body (PRB) to arbitrate pay on an annual basis. The
PRB recommended a 2.75% pay award for this year, 2008/9. The
government, subsequently, imposed the three-year deal worth in
total 7.99%.
For further information, please ring: Karen Reay, National
Officer, Health, Unite 07798 531 004; David Fleming, National
Officer, Health, Unite 07798 531013; Shaun Noble, Communications
Officer 020 7420 8951 (direct line) or 07768 693 940
(mobile)
Unite has launched a national petition asking its health sector
members, as well as the general public, to sign the petition which
its hopes to present to Downing Street. The petition can be
downloaded from www.unitetheunion.org/health
Unite is campaigning against the imposed three-year NHS pay deal
which will mean pay rises being barely 50% of the current
rate of inflation. More information is available on the 'campaigns'
page of the website http://www.amicustheunion.org/
Unite/CPHVA press releases can be seen on the CPHVA website:
www.unitetheunion.org/cphva
Unite is the largest union in the UK. It has seven
professional sections: the Community Practitioners’ and
Health Visitors’ Association, the Mental Health Nurses Association,
the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, the Society of Sexual Health
Advisers, the Medical Practitioners’ Union, College of Healthcare
Chaplains, and the Hospital Physicists Association.
Unite was formed by an amalgamation of Amicus and the Transport
and General Workers’ Union in May 2007.
