UNISON NIs Health Committee is deeply disappointed at the fact that no pay offer has yet been made to Health staff. This leaves us once again almost a year behind other parts of the UK and NHS and in a situation where pay parity is not being maintained as was promised.
Health Trade Unions in Northern Ireland have met with Health Minister Mike Nesbitt in our first engagement regarding pay for 2024/25.
We pressed for this engagement as time is ticking on and there is still no clarity or certainty about our pay uplift for AFC staff working in health and social care in NI, an uplift that was due from April 2024. We clearly set out our frustration with the continuing time lag for health pay movement. Health staff in NI continue to be almost a year behind other parts of the UK NHS.
Newry and Mourne UNISON health branch have expressed their horror and anger at the recent death of one of their members who was returning from work in the healthcare sector in Newry.
UNISON has a long and proud tradition of standing up for equality and human rights and against prejudice, bigotry and discrimination.
UNISON members and their families from other parts of the world and those who have been born and bred here but have a different skin colour or ethnic background are facing racism and hate crime.
Workers who have been invited here to help with public sector staffing crises in areas such as social care and nursing in particular have been targeted by racists and bigots and put in harm’s way.
ICTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said:
“Trade unions in Northern Ireland welcome today’s announcement by the Economy Minister Conor Murphy that he is prepared to use Stormont’s devolved powers to deliver new employment legislation to update and improve the daily working lives of thousands of people.
A letter confirming proposal from the Department for Education on the Pay and Grading Dispute has been received. Unions and their negotiators have agreed to recommend this proposal to our lay leaders and shop stewards. UNISON will then consult with all our affected members for their democratic endorsement. We are all at the UNISON conference until Tuesday next week. When we return we will convene an on line meeting for Tuesday morning of our Local Government Service group who will debate and decide what advice we will issue in the coming week to members.
Your UNISON Education negotiating team has been engaged in a round of talks alongside other trade unions with senior Education Department staff and the EA. These talks are still ongoing and will resume on Monday the 10th of June.
Both the Finance and the Education ministers have welcomed these talks and continue to encourage and support a resolution of our dispute.
There are positive developments, but some hurdles still remain. All sides are pressing for an outcome very soon.
UNISON, the largest union representing workers across health and social care in Northern Ireland, notes with serious concern the statement issued by the Chairs of six Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in relation to the budget available for services. Commenting on the statement by the Chairs, UNISON Regional Secretary Patricia McKeown said:
‘‘This is an extremely worrying intervention by the Chairs that should provide a stark warning as to the damage that inadequate funding for essential services can do.
