NHS two-year pay freeze is ‘going nowhere’ until members are
consulted, says Unite
13 December 2010
Plans by the NHS employers for ‘no compulsory redundancies’ in
return for a two-year pay progression freeze are ‘going nowhere’
until members are fully consulted, Unite, the largest union in the
country, said today (Monday 13 December).
Unite, which has 100,000 members in the health service, was
responding to the plans tabled by the NHS employers at the NHS
Staff Council Executive.
Unite’s national officer for health, Karen Reay, said : ”These
are a very unattractive set of proposals structured with the
intention of divide-and-rule.
”We will be seeking further clarification on a number of points,
such as how can foundation trusts guarantee no compulsory
redundancies? And what is the rationale for only guaranteeing no
job losses for Agenda for Change Bands 1-6, but not 7-9. This is
causing real concern for our members on the higher pay bands.
”What is happening here is an attempt to embed the concept of a
pay progression freeze for the long-term. Our members already face
a public sector pay freeze for the next two years, unless they earn
less than £21,000, and then the increase is paltry.
”What the employers now want to do is to stop the annual
incremental increases which our members receive as part of their
terms and conditions of employment.
”These plans by the employers are going nowhere until we have
had the widest consultation with our members.
”Trusts in England have to make £20 billion in ‘efficiency
savings’ and not for the first time, when the NHS is facing
swingeing cuts to patients’ services, it is the hard working staff
who, yet again, are being asked to pick up the pieces.“
ENDS
Notes to news editors:
For further information, please contact Karen Reay on 07798
531004 and/or Shaun Noble on 07768 693940
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