The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 8th December 2023
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 8th December 2023
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
One of Britain’s most powerful health service unions has recently secured an extra 4.95 per cent pay rise that is on top of the six per cent it secured earlier this year. This comes after unprecedented strike action earlier this year that saw its members take to the picket lines.
This offer is now being balloted on by the membership, but the union warns that the re-ballot for industrial action remains open, and if passed, would enable consultants to call further strikes next year (2024) if the offer is rejected.
Apart from the pay rise changes that will be made to the members’ pay scale structure, enabling them to reach the top of the pay scale five years sooner than under the current schemes, at the same time starting salaries and top-of-the-pay-scale salaries will both increase.
The reforms will particularly benefit women who take time out for caring responsibilities and are disadvantaged under the current system. Rights for enhanced shared parental leave will be extended, making “considerable progress” at tackling the gender pay gap.
Other unions in the same line of business were not terribly impressed. The 4.95 per cent was secured by the British Medical Association (BMA) on behalf of their consultant members.
Further down the NHS food chain, the Society of Radiographers (SoR) who had joined the consultants on picket line were among those feeling left out, with their last strike action carefully timed to coincide with the Tory Party conference.
The SoR has demanded that this month’s Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins, treat them in the same way. It warns that: “If the Minister is willing to show the same level of engagement with us as she has shown with the BMA, that progress is possible, further action will be avoided.” It also bravely warned that while: “No professionals want to strike but if this is the only way to force this Government to engage constructively then further industrial action will be likely in 2024.”
It complains of uncompetitive starting rates for new professionals at Band 5. This is positive discouragement of top recruitment that is causing staff shortages and overwork for existing staff, many of whom are looking for the exit. Another grumble is that the NHS prevents access to paid time off for training and professional development.
The government has said they cannot and are unwilling to discuss an improved 2023–24 pay offer for members as they were now actively discussing the 2024–25 pay round.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) takes the same view. General Secretary Pat Cullen complains that “100,000 of its members in England voted in favour of continued strike action just a few months ago in a clear indication that the profession continues to feel undervalued”, before adding that: “The government has now shown it has the political will to negotiate on pay reform for some of the highest earners in the NHS in contrast to our members who received the lowest pay rise in the public sector.”
A particular problem highlighted by the RCN is that many nurses spend their entire career on Agenda for Change Band 5, which is the lowest band of all regulated professionals in the NHS. The RCN complains that in the last pay negotiations it was offered a commitment to explore a separate nursing pay spine but, as might be expected, nothing was done.