UNISON moves to ballot angry NHS workers over pay

Transcription

1 All about news Branch Committee: VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 MONDAY 18TH AUGUST 2014 Chairperson: Robert Walker Secretary: Steve Rolfe Treasurer: Dave Walker Health & Safety Officer: Martin Price & Pamela King Welfare Officer: BNHH: Margaret Dimbleby RHCH: Beverley Appleyard Lead Stewards: BNHH: Margaret Dimbleby RHCH: Darren Payne AWMH: Kate Henning Communications Officer: Robert Walker Education Coordinator: Marion Meredith International Officer: Richard Pickett Black Members Officer: Marion Meredith Stewards: BNHH: Margaret Dimbleby, Om Gurung, Pam King, Martin Price, Marion Meredith, Cat Mills, Steve Rolfe, Ray Spokes, Dave Walker & Robert Walker RHCH & AWMH: Beverley Appleyard, Karen Neligan, Darren Payne, Richard Pickett & Linda Sinfield Inside this issue: UNISON comments on government letter to the independent NHS PRB UNISON rejects Nursing and Midwifery Council plans to raise registration fees New BNHH Union phone numbers and answerphone Mutuals could act as Trojan horse for privatisation UNISON to launch public services manifesto New RHCH UNISON phone number and answerphone Unions to escalate pay strike action in October Membership Details Update form Blackpool flies the flag for LGBT conference UNISON, the UK s largest health union is to ballot its 300,000 NHS members in England for strike action. The ballot is in response to the Government s decision to deny 60% of NHS staff and 70% of nurses a pay rise for the next two years. It will begin on 28th August and run until 18 September. The ballot will cover health workers including nurses, therapists, porters, paramedics, medical secretaries, cooks, cleaners and healthcare assistants. A yes vote will lead to stoppages in early October, followed by further strikes and action short of a strike over the Autumn and Winter. The ballot follows the Government s decision to ignore the NHS Pay Review Body s recommendations and Andover, Basingstoke & Winchester Health Branch UNISON moves to ballot angry NHS workers over pay instead give a 1% non-consolidated increase only to staff at the top of their incremental scale. Because the award is non-consolidated it will not count towards pension entitlements or shift pay and will be wiped away at the end of March Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said: Balloting for strike action is not an easy decision especially in the NHS. But this Government is showing complete contempt for NHS workers. It has swept aside the Pay Review Body s recommendations and ignored the union s call for a fair deal. Our members are angry at the way they are being treated and we are left with little choice but to ballot for action. We hope to work closely with the other health unions to plan and coordinate action. It is not too late however for Jeremy Hunt to agree to further talks, without pre-conditions, to settle the dispute. The union has strongly criticised the Government for hijacking increments - arguing that they are not and cannot be made a substitute for a pay rise. Increments are designed to reflect the growing skills and experience of nurses and other healthcare workers and are instead closely linked to competency. They are not a substitute for the annual pay rise that is needed to meet the ever-increasing cost of living.

2 PAGE 2 UNISON comments on Government letter to the independent NHS PRB The Government s confirmation that the independent NHS Pay Review Body will not be required to make recommendations on pay awards for Agenda for Change staff for 2015/16, is a "slap in the face to NHS staff" said UNISON today. The union is calling the move "provocative" coming as it does just weeks before it is to ballot NHS members in England for industrial action. Christina McAnea, UNISON head of health, said: Staff are the NHS' most valuable asset. And despite this, the Government is going ahead and denying the vast majority a pay rise - not just for this year, but for next year too. The Pay Review Body has kept the industrial peace for many years and by ignoring it this year and casting it aside for next, the Government is being deliberately provocative. This letter will only add to our members determination to vote 'yes' for industrial action. The Government still have time to head off this action with a fair pay deal. We are willing to sit down and settle the dispute but there cannot be any pre-conditions for talks. UNISON will be balloting health members in England for industrial action between 28 th August and 18 th September UNI- SON is working closely with the other health unions to plan and coordinate action. UNISON rejects nursing and midwifery council plans to raise registration fees UNISON, the UK's largest trade union, has rejected the NMC proposals to increase registration fees for nurses and midwives by 20% from next year. A survey of members by the union showed all respondents (99.36%) opposed the proposed fee increase*. Gail Adams, UNISON head of nursing, said: The proposals are unfair and disproportionate. Our members are very angry and have unanimously rejected the proposals. They re also angry that the NMC appears unable to live within their current income and it s unacceptable to expect nurses and midwives to pay for this. Nurses have suffered an average 10% cut in the value of their pay since 2010 and asking them to paymore for their registration fees is unacceptable. The majority of nurses will not be getting a pay rise this year and this is on top of a three-year pay freeze and squeeze. "UNISON's survey also showed that a fees rise would have a damaging impact on older nurses and midwives by affecting their decision to return to work on reduced hours. The NHS and patients cannot afford to lose so much valuable skill and experience from the service. UNISON s submission to the NMC consultation also calls for a review of fitness to practice referrals to ensure they are appropriate and in the interests of patient safety and public protection. Gail Adams added: Employers are the largest source of referrals and reviewing this would have a positive impact on reducing the number of cases and the overall cost of fitness to practice. We want the NMC to maintain their current registration fees and if necessary reduce the number of fitness to practice hearings. Nurses and midwives simply cannot afford to be held to ransom by this increase."

3 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 PAGE 3 NEW CONFIDENTIAL DIRECT DIAL PHONE NUMBER ANSWERPHONE NUMBER FOR STAFF AT BNHH (01256) (01256) THIS IS A DEDICATED UNION NUMBER WITH A CONFIDENTIAL ANSWER PHONE FOR ALL UNION MEMBERS.

4 PAGE 4 NEWSLETTER TITLE Mutuals could act as Trojan horse for privatisation UNISON is today warning that proposals to let staff run hospitals may sound attractive in theory, but in practice are fraught with pitfalls. All too frequently the mutuals model is used as a mask for a top-level management buy-out, with little actual staff buy-in. The union is calling for rigorous and open testing of the pathfinders involved in testing the proposals, to ensure that staff and patients are benefitting from the changes. Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said: There is a very real danger UNISON is launching its manifesto for public services this week, ready to present to the Labour Party's national policy forum in Milton Keynes this weekend. The manifesto, which will be used to challenge all the country's mainstream parties over the coming months, highlights the huge challenges facing public services because of the current government's austerity measures. And, with less than a year to go to the general election, it sets out what is needed to ensure that public services survive. The measures reflect existing union policies, together with discussions with members at a that bringing the mutual model into hospitals will be a Trojan horse for privatisation. Even in the early stages mutual frequently mask top-level buy-outs without any real input orbuy-in from staff. While there is a welcome and much needed focus on staff engagement in the report, real engagement and involvement of staff in decisions about how healthcare is organised should be the norm, but it s clear that much needs to be done to make this a reality. UNISON s recent post Francis survey of branches public services summit. UNISON is calling for: a new deal for closing the deficit and ensuring our public services are properly funded, with more emphasis on higher taxes for the wealthy; more financial freedom and fairer funding for local government; a complete change of direction on privatisation and outsourcing; a renewed commitment to the public-service workforce. General secretary Dave Prentis said: "The challenges facing public services are stark, but our manifesto shows that UNISON has a clear sense about what now needs to happen. indicates there is a lot of work still needed to ensure that NHS staff are fully engaged in making services safer for patients. 50% said their employer had not consulted with trade unions on implementing the Francis recommendations. And 70% said Francis did not feature on local partnership meetings agendas. Ms McAnea continued: The staff survey is a vital tool in gauging the health of any NHS organisation and must be mandatory for all NHS providers. UNISON to launch public services manifesto "Drastically reduced access to a range of services, including social care, day centres for the elderly, children's centres, libraries and leisure services is becoming a cold fact of life for many in our communities. "This is about the choices the government make rather than something that is inevitable. Our manifesto shows there are alternatives." And Mr Prentis continued: "We will be presenting these to all politicians over the coming months, starting with the Labour Party at the policy forum in Milton Keynes this weekend."

5 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 PAGE 5 NEW CONFIDENTIAL ANSWERPHONE NUMBER FOR STAFF AT RHCH AND AWMH EXT.5222 THIS IS A DEDICATED UNISON NUMBER WITH A CONFIDENTIAL ANSWER PHONE FOR OUR MEMBERS.

6 PAGE 6 Unions to escalate pay strike action in October Unions representing over a million local government workers GMB, UNISON and Unite have agreed to escalate their dispute over pay with a campaign running into the autumn. The three unions have agreed that their members will run a co-ordinated strike of their local government and school members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Tuesday 14 October. UNI- SON will not proceed with strike action on 30 September. The strike will be just a few days before the TUC organised national demonstration on 18 October calling for decent pay. Local government workers have suffered three years of a pay freeze, followed by a below inflation pay deal and have now been offered a paltry 1%. They have seen their pay reduced in value by 20% since This resulted in a one day strike on 10 July. No further talks have taken place since that date, despite the unions offering to go to the Government s arbitration and conciliation service. UNISON Head of Local Government, Heather Wakefield, said: Employers and Government must be left in no doubt that we are serious in this dispute. As sister unions, we stand together to make sure that our members are treated with decency and respect. Our members cannot afford to carry on propping up local services through their pay packets. Many are low paid women who are being forced to resort to food banks and payday loan sharks just to survive. We need to put the heart back into local government by paying a living wage. GMB National Secretary, Brian Strutton, said: "Our members in GMB, UNI- SON and Unite expect us to maximise our joint effectiveness and that's why we are announcing the next strike together. Our members deserve a fair pay deal and we have to fight together to achieve that. Council leaders should reconsider their parsimonious pay offer and do the right thing by their staff. Unite National Officer, Fiona Farmer, said: Local government workers have had years of real pay cuts, working harder to deliver vital local services while being paid less and struggling to make ends meet. Low paid members unable to afford basis essentials are having to choose between heating and eating. On 1st October the National Minimum Wage will overtake local government pay scales, we need Fair Pay not Poverty Pay. Local Government workers taking strike action include care workers, librarians, cleaners, environmental health officers, street cleaners, home carers, parks and recreation workers, teaching assistants and school meals workers and refuse workers.

7 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 PAGE 7 Membership Details Update Form Members Name: Membership Number: Date of Birth: Address: Post Code: Telephone: Home:. Mobile: Home: Work: Employer:. Job Title:.. Workplace Address:

8 Andover, Basingstoke & Winchester Health Branch Basingstoke Office Basingstoke & North Hampshire Hospital Aldermaston Road Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 9NA Phone: Opening Times: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Winchester Office Royal Hampshire County Hospital Romsey Road Winchester, Hampshire SO22 5DG Phone: Opening Times: Wednesday Thursday W E RE ON THE WEB WWW. ABW- UNISON. WEEBLY. COM Blackpool flies the flag for LGBT conference Blackpool will fly the flag to welcome UNISON 's LGBT conference in November; the resort has announced that the rainbow flag will fly not just above the town hall - but on top of the world famous Blackpool Tower. From Thursday 20 November until Sunday 24, the flags will be visible to welcome the conference and its delegates to the North West town. In recent years, the illuminations on the tower have undergone an upgrade, now using 25,000 eco-friendly LED lights, which means the tower can be lit in any colour, pattern or moving, multi-colour display. And to further show support for our conference, Blackpool council and the company that runs the tower, Merlin Entertainment, will light the tower itself each evening in rainbow colours. Registration for November's conference closes on 26 September. See the dedicated conference page of the website for more details.