Every day the government delays further, hardworking and dedicated staff are losing out. If Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak had acted on UNISON’s call for a fair, and reasonable pay rise of £2k for everyone working in the NHS, health workers would be earning an extra £38.46 a week.
Writing to local papers is a powerful way to grab MPs attention and pressure them into action to secure NHS workers the pay rise they deserve.
Tips for writing your letter to the editor:
- Letters to the editor should be short and to the point, try to keep to around 200 words.
- Take a local angle, include local information or experiences of your branch members, rather than focusing on the national picture.
- Your letter will be stronger if it’s sent on behalf of a group of NHS staff or your whole branch. Gather a group of staff to co-sign the letter or send as Branch Secretary on behalf of your branch.
- If you’re sending the letter as a group of staff you can do so anonymously, just include information on how many people have signed, the roles you work in and where.
What to include in your letter:
- Explain that NHS staff are due a pay rise on 1st April but this spring their pay packets will remain unchanged due to the government’s delays.
- Make it clear that it’s politicians in charge of NHS pay, they can choose to give NHS workers a fair pay rise now, or make health workers wait even longer.
- Share the experiences of your branch members during the pandemic, and how they feel about pay delays and the government’s 1% initial pay offer.
Call on local MPs and the public to back a pay rise of £2k for everyone working in the NHS ASAP.
Once you’ve put together your letter:
- Think about which local papers cover your area, you can pick more than one.
- To email in your letter, you can search for contact details for local papers using the link below or visit their website directly.