This morning I was in Glasgow at the QE hospital to meet our biggest branch, who also happen to be one of our best.
Glasgow Health branch epitomise the dedication of our activists around the country, walking the wards daily to recruit and represent members from across the health service.
But I wasn’t just there to see the work they do, I was there to back UNISON Scotland’s “Scrap The Cap” campaign to end the pay cap in the NHS once and for all.
Pay is always at the forefront of our union’s agenda, but the current political situation means that we have a big opportunity to win real and meaningful wage rises for all UNISON members.
I’ve already written before about the work that’s being done – nationally, regionally and in branches across our union – to put pressure on the government to act.
But we’ll also be making our voices heard on the streets too. We’ll be at Tory conference in Manchester telling Theresa May and her depleted band of MPs that it’s time to pay up now. We’ll be lobbying MPs and rallying in Parliament Square on October 17th. And – as was agreed at today’s Scottish Health Committee, which I was proud to speak at – we’ll be on the streets of Edinburgh on October 7th to push for the cap to be scrapped.
It’s time to raise wages for all public sector workers. Everyone who cares about our public services should join us in Manchester, London and Edinburgh to make their voices heard.
NHS employees, like the brilliant people I’ve spoken to in Glasgow today, deserve a decent pay rise. So do care staff, teaching assistants and social workers.
Public servants – wherever they work and whatever job they do – all play a vital part in caring for our communities. It’s not good enough for politicians to give them thanks and platitudes yet effectively cut their pay each and every year. And it’s that message we’ll be repeating every day, by every means possible, until our members get the pay rises they need and deserve.