Low pay in the NHS

Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to prioritise and launch a campaign of highlighting the plight of our lowest paid members and hardships that they face on daily basis. Over the last 5 plus years we have seen a real reduction on the expendable income of all our members however our Band 1 members […]

Retirement Age for Healthcare workers

Health Conference is well aware and very concerned that thanks to the Tory led government the retirement age for all NHS workers will be increased to 67 years old. The detrimental impact on the health of all members forced to work until their last day at work will be significant, but in particularly there will […]

Mental Health Services

Conference notes that mental health services are arguably in crisis. They have never necessarily achieved commensurate funding with general health care services, and the austerity policies of this government have hit mental health services disproportionately. There are extant problems with capacity, leading to large numbers of patients being transferred out of area. Whole swathes of […]

People Before Profits

UNISON members note in October the words of Andy Burnham “People before profits… no one gave the prime minister permission to put the NHS up for sale”. Conference welcomes his comments and those later in November that he wishes to return to an integrated health service which includes social care as part of the NHS. […]

NHS Pay Campaign

Conference congratulates health branches and the health service group executive on the industrial action taken to date as part of the NHS pay dispute. Conference notes that NHS workers continue to see the value of their pay being cut year on year as a result of the pay policies of governments across the UK and […]

The Impact of 12 Hour Shifts

Conference notes the increase in recent years in the demand for nursing staff to work 12 hours, and other long shift patterns. While recognising that they are popular with some members we are aware that in some clinical areas there are significant concerns. The risk of fatigue leading to drug errors and their long term […]

Negotiating an End to Disability Discrimination

Conference is concerned that changes to Agenda for Change that came into effect in April 2013 were not Equality Impact Assessed to measure the disproportionate effect on disabled health workers. Circulars issued by NHS Employers make no reference to scrutiny undertaken with regard to disability aspects of the revised terms and conditions and no separate […]

Organising in New NHS Bodies: Prepared and Proactive – Not Reactive

In 2015, it will be two years since we saw the implementation of this coalition government’s so called reforms to the health service and commissioning arrangements in England. The end of the purchaser / provider split, the end of primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, central services, and health protection agencies. In their place we […]

Campaign for Pay increases for Agency workers in the NHS

Conference notes 1.5 million people in the UK are employed by Employment Agencies, with around 350,000 people receiving less than the minimum wage. Very few employment agencies paying below the minimum wage have faced any legal action or been fined, despite breaking employment laws. In October 2014, the minimum wage for adults rose by 19p […]

Developing Black Members in the NHS Workforce

Conference notes the over-representation of Black workers in the lower paid roles in the NHS; particularly bands 1-4. The staff in bands 1-4 make up around 40% of the 1.3 million workers in the NHS and are responsible for an estimated 60% of direct patient contact. However these workers receive less than 20% of the […]

For the 7%

Conference notes that 93% of the Health Service Group membership is employed within the National Health Service, and that we must continue to campaign for employment on decent pay within the NHS as a publicly-accountable, and properly-funded public service. This Conference further notes that the remaining 7% of the Health Service Group membership is employed […]

Living Wage for All

Conference is disturbed to hear, that despite the introduction of the minimum wage in 1999 by a Labour Government, some employers in the care sector both in the community and private sectors are still paying their staff a pittance. Working in a care home or looking after the most vulnerable people in our society in […]

Terms and Conditions in the Community and Voluntary Sector

Conference notes with concern the insecurity facing workers in the community and voluntary sector, many of whom are low paid women workers. Many voluntary sector organisations provide services via contracts from local government and health authorities, and cuts in public spending are inevitably impacting on the funding of these services and therefore on our members. […]