If you’re a UNISON member working in the NHS in England, or someone who cares about the future of our NHS, then get ready to take action to put NHS pay right.
On 25 May, our NHS day of action, join tens of thousands of people who have already signed our letter to NHS leaders and ministers.
Together, we are calling for a proper NHS pay rise that beats inflation, makes good on decades of pay cuts and makes sure hardworking, dedicated, but exhausted staff, aren’t forced out of our NHS.
Right now, the workforce is in crisis. Risking a mass exodus of staff is bad news for patients and could cause the collapse of our treasured NHS.
Waiting lists are already soaring, and the pressure is building on every worker that makes up the One Team of our health service. This pressure will only worsen if more staff feel they have no other option but to leave.
Shamefully, poverty pay is the reality for so many, and we can be in no doubt that this is a crisis of the government’s own making, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
It can be fixed by giving NHS staff fair pay for the hours they work, putting them on the right grades, and by giving them the right support to feel valued and respected.
UNISON is mobilising branches to take action. Your UNISON branches may well be handing their own letters into your employer, holding lunchtime rallies, and preparing videos to share online, so make sure you get involved too.
We know how hard our NHS staff work. It was NHS workers who looked after COVID patients. They were the last to hold the hands of those who passed away without their families by their sides and they were responsible for saving countless lives by rolling out the COVID vaccine programme.
As the NHS struggles after the pressure of the pandemic, the stakes couldn’t be higher. This is our opportunity to take our message to the government and employers in England, to urgently put NHS pay right.
