Ambulance service employers have agreed to suspend deductions from unsocial hours payments, taken from staff who have been absent due to sickness.
In turn, UNISON and other trade unions have agreed to suspend their industrial action ballots.
The agreement was reached so as to allow ‘genuine and constructive’ negotiations as to what unsocial hours arrangements should apply during sickness absence.
UNISON has 25,000 members in the ambulance sector, who were faced with losing large sums of money as a result of the employers’ policy to deduct up to 25% from salaries following sickness absence.
The dispute arose over this year’s agreed changes to Agenda for Change, which came into force in April.
The employers believe that changes relating to pay during sickness absence for NHS staff also apply to the ambulance sector. The unions disagree.
UNISON, the GMB and Unite have agreed to conclude the negotiations by 1 February.
