UNISON today described health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s pay plan as “divisive, unfair and disingenuous”, as NHS staff across the country took part in protests against it.
The day of protest on pay comes during Fair Pay Fortnight, and the union’s head of health, Christina McAnea, writing for Labour List, pointed out that Mr Hunt is “will not even honour the recommendations of the independent pay review body to offer them [NHS staff] all a 1% increase to hourly rates”.
Ms McAnea says that the recommended 1% was “woefully inadequate” after “years of below-inflation pay awards”, but for staff in England, Mr Hunt ”has restricted the 1% offer to those at the top of their pay bands” and it will come as a cash sum.
Over a third of non-medical NHS staff are paid below £21,000 and most health service staff have had their pay cut by 8-12% between 2010 and 2013 in real terms.
But Ms McAnea warned that “disingenuous” attampts by the government to “buy off” health workers in future “will not wash”, and said that the union will be consulting members about the offer in the coming weeks.
UNISON is urging members to use social media to help build the case for fiar pay in the NHS today and throughout Fair Pay Fortnight.
Let’s use social media to campaign on NHS pay
Christina McAnea blog: Divisive, unfair, disingenuous – why Jeremy Hunt’s pay plan is a dud [external link]