Health unions send above inflation 3.9% pay claim to Chancellor Philip Hammond
Leaders of more than a million health workers have submitted an above inflation pay claim directly to the Government, ramping up pressure for an end to years of wage austerity.
Fourteen health unions including Unison, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Unite and the GMB have written to the Chancellor, Philip Hammond.
They are asking him to earmark funds in the November Budget for a pay rise in line with RPI inflation, currently 3.9%, and an additional £800 to restore some of the pay lost over the past seven years.
The unions said NHS workers including cleaners, nurses, radiographers, pharmacists, midwives, paramedics, therapists, dental technicians, caterers and porters have suffered real terms pay cuts of around 15% in recent years because of the Government’s “harsh pay policies”.
Unions usually submit evidence to a pay review body, but they said the Government has undermined its role and “severely restricted” its ability to make recommendations.
The Government signalled an easing of the pay cap on Tuesday by announcing a 2% rise for the police and 1.7% for prison officers.
But unions representing millions of other public sector employees voiced anger, accusing the Government of trying to divide workers.
Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton said: “Health workers have gone without a proper pay rise for far too long. Their wages continue to fall behind inflation as food and fuel bills, housing and transport costs rise.
“NHS staff and their families need a pay award that stops the rot and starts to restore some of the earnings that have been missed out on.
“A decent pay rise will make it easier for struggling hospital trusts to attract new recruits and hold on to experienced staff.
“Continuing with the pay cap will further damage services, and that affects us all.
“The Government must give the NHS the cash it needs so its entire workforce gets a decent rise, without the need for more services to be cut.”
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Janet Davies said: “If the Government gives nurses the same deal as the police, it would still be a real-terms pay cut.
“Nursing staff must be given a pay rise that matches inflation, with an additional consolidated lump sum that begins to make up for the years of lost pay.
“When the next pay review body process begins, the Government must allow it to be truly independent and able to recommend a meaningful increase that helps hardworking staff with the cost of living.
“It must be fully-funded and not force the NHS to cut services or jobs to pay for it.”
Royal College of Midwives director for employment relations Jon Skewes said: “This claim represents fair compensation for the rise of cost in living and goes someway to make up for midwives’ pay losing over £6,000 in value since 2010.”
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2017, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Laura Lean / PA Wire.
