- Conference
- 2014 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 7 December 2013
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes with alarm that the downbanding of NHS workers’, jobs has increased nationwide as more and more Trusts come under financial pressure.
The downbandings may take place under the guise of service or skill mix reviews but in reality they are most likely to result in workers doing the same job for less pay. i.e. downbandings are pay cuts.
Conference condemns this practice, which we believe undermines the principles of the Agenda for Change Job Evaluation Scheme, whereby workers are paid in line with the skills and responsibilities of their roles.
Conference also condemns those Trusts, such as Mid Yorkshire, who impose new job descriptions on its staff with the threat of dismissal and re-engagement on a lower band. This is institutionalised bullying and should be opposed wherever it arises.
Conference congratulates the 400 Administrative and Clerical workers at Mid Yorkshire who took 9 days strike action against the downbanding of their posts. This action did not only win increased protection for the staff concerned but also, more importantly, the right to revisit and jointly agree the new job descriptions after 6 months, thereby opening the possibility of the staff being rebanded onto their original bands.
Conference believes that downbanding is not a foregone conclusion. It can and must be fought locally and nationally if the integrity of the Job Evaluation Scheme is to be maintained.
Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to produce a ‘How to fight Downbandings’ guide for branches including advice on:
1)how to use Annex X of the Terms and Conditions Handbook to avoid down bandings;
2)the impact of downbandings on equal pay and the Job Evaluation Scheme;
3)using equal pay legislation to resist downbandings;
4)learning the lessons from Mid Yorkshire and other branches that have gone through downbandings exercises;
5)the lodging of legitimate trade disputes and ballots for legal industrial action against downbandings.