Why we will be voting to reject the pay offer

The following statement is being circulated by activists in UNISON who intend to reject the revised pay offer in the consultative ballot. If you would like to add your name to the list of signatories, please do so by posting a comment to this blog article.

However, UNISON national officers have criticised individual activists, especially those with elected positions at a national level of the union, for signing this declaration committing themselves to voting to reject the pay offer. In the light of this campaign of intimidation being waged by the UNISON national officials, we have decided to remove the list of individual names from the statement in order to avoid them facing any punitive action by the union bureaucracy.

We the undersigned believe that the latest offer from the NHS employers
is not enough to satisfy our demands for a pay rise this year.

As UNISON's health conference agreed in April, we believe that "such a pay increase, below the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI) now at 4.8% and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) now at 3.1%, would represent a pay cut in real terms and would have a significant impact on the standard of living for staff who include some of the lowest paid in the NHS. Coupled with the significant increases in energy costs, council tax and travel costs, health workers would see no benefit from such a low pay increase."

We believe that the unions' pay demand was right: health workers need a significant pay increase above the rate of RPI inflation, with all those on bands 1, 2 and 3 receiving a flat rate increase, and to have the other elements of our pay demand met. The new offer from the employers does not measure up on any of these aspects of the pay demand.

We therefore intend to vote to reject this offer in the consultative ballot, and prepare for a campaign of industrial action to win a decent pay rise, alongside other public sector workers.

All signatories in a personal capacity.

58 UNISON representatives, branch, regional and national lay member activists

Comment on pay offer and how to fight it

NHS Pay: Final offer1.9% AND CRUMBS.

Reject the deal, organise now for action

Mike Fenwick, Airedale UNISON Health Branch (PC)

5 months negotiation since the initial offer of a staged 2.5% have produced no real results. With the government committed to maintaining a 2 % pay freeze for the public sector little was expected and certainly little has been offered. Staging the deal meant that it would be worth only 1.9%. So health service staff were being offered less than the governments own  
suggested raise. This meant Alan Johnston and the treasury would save millions. It also allowed a little wiggle room from which a few extra enticements could be found.

So the final offer, published at the beginning of August, now includes a little extra for the lowest paid, some contribution toward professional registration fees  and an additional training allowance of £25 per employee.  
Overall still a pay cut.

More threateningly the government want to make this year the basis for a three year deal capped at 2%. With inflation at nearly 5% now that could mean at the end of three years a 10% pay cut in real terms for NHS staff. To this they also want to add a productivity deals which can only mean asking staff to work more for less.
 
In Scotland, Wales and now Northern Ireland the local governments have agreed to pay the 2.5% unstaged.  Whilst that is better it cannot be claimed as a victory it still represents a pay cut. 

The unions are now asking their members to vote on the deal. The RCN have already balloted although their focus has been on getting rid of the staging rather than fighting for an award in line with inflation. The result of their ballot is due this week.

In UNISON the Service Group Executive have decided to call for a consultative ballot so postponing the industrial action ballot mandated by health conference if the deal was not significantly improved. Only a small minority on the committee voted in line with policy and lost to those who either lack confidence to fight or worse those would accept a pay cut for their members rather than upset Gordon Brown’s honeymoon period.

A campaign to organise a No vote has already been set up before ballot papers arrive on 20th August. Based at http://NHSworker.blogspot.com this grassroots group is asking UNISON members to reaffirm their commitment to conference policy and an above inflation pay rise and organise the fight to win it.
 

With the postal workers still in dispute, local government workers due to move to a ballot and possible action from teachers and others the possibility exists to create a significant challenge to the pay freeze. But it should also be seen as a challenge to New Labour’s current ‘commitment’
to public services which amounts to privatising as much of it as possible.  Having a low paid and insecure work force makes it easier to persuade the private sector to buy in.
 

The fight is not just about the amount of money in an individual nurse’s pocket but part of the struggle to maintain a decent public health service. Reject the deal and use the time to build for the industrial action that will be needed to secure a better future for the NHS and its staff.
 
Prepare for the ballot by signing the statement here by leaving a comment on the post
Why we are calling on UNISON members to reject the pay offer and your name will added to the list of signatures
Download the statement and leaflet and circulate amongst your colleagues.
 
Organise a workplace meeting to present the case against the pay freeze. Get branch meetings and committees to call early meetings to organise a No Vote.
 
Link up with other public sector workers and community campaigners in building for the national demo for the NHS on November 3rd.