UNISON Northern Ireland

UNISON Health Committee communication to all members

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The UNISON regional Health Committee met yesterday to receive an update from negotiators on pay discussions with the Department of Health and the HSC employers.

Regional Health trade unions are strongly critical of the fact the DOH chose to announce their position on pay arrangements for 2018/19 via the media instead of presenting this position to unions.  The details and figures in the announcement were not agreed by the trade unions.

Subsequently on 29 November union negotiators met with DOH and the employers and scrutinised the content of the announcement.  It has become clear that the pay announcement falls short of the interim position put by Trade Union Side.  This was for an immediate interim payment of a 3% uplift without prejudice.  Unions had also asked for an elimination of Band 1 pay and a deal which would bring about the real Living Wage.  This trade union position was to be a first step in the fight to achieve the return of pay parity and to close the pay gap for health workers in NI where we are still the lowest paid.   Unions had expressed willingness to use the three year Agenda for Change pay refresh framework which has been endorsed by NHS workers in England, Scotland and Wales. 

UNISON Health Committee is appalled to find in this announcement that a significant number of some workers would not receive a 3% uplift.   In addition, the Department on the basis of a one year deal is expecting workers to agree to move to incremental pay from every year to two years.

Let us be clear, this pay announcement from the Department of Health will still leave our health workers the lowest paid in the NHS.  It is not good enough even as a first step towards pay parity.  It is not good enough even as an interim payment on account.

UNISON Health Committee is demanding honesty from the Department.  This announcement is not acceptable and we have mandated our negotiating team to go back to the table. 

The figures DOH have published are misleading and will only serve to further upset the workforce by raising expectations that will not be met.

The Department have said they cannot fully fund trade unions demand. Yet they can find £156 million to fund the cost of agencies used right across the health service. The additional funding required to health staff an interim uplift of 3% is a lot less.  Better management of this debilitating agency spend would enable employers and DOH to meet a fair and just demand.

Our members deserve better than this.