One per cent pay rise “is the worst kind of insult”

Pay UNISON News

The public will be horrified. NHS staff will think it’s some kind of joke

Commenting on the publication today (Thursday) of the Department of Health and Social Care paper on workforce funding and pay – recommending a 1% pay rise for NHS staff in England – UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“No wonder the chancellor had nothing to say about the NHS yesterday. A one per cent pay rise is the worst kind of insult the government could give health workers who’ve given their absolute everything over the past year.

“The public will be horrified. Staff will think it’s some kind of joke.

“Ministers should hang their heads in shame, go back to the drawing board and come up with the kind of pay rise that matches the astounding efforts staff have gone to in the past year.

“The entire NHS workforce will now expect to see the pay review body come up with a much more sensible and realistic recommendation than this laughable suggestion from the government.”

 

Notes to editors:
– UNISON’s is calling on the government to give all NHS workers a pay rise of at least £2,000.
– Health workers are currently in the final year of a three-year deal. They’re due a pay rise in April but unions have been campaigning for the government to show its appreciation for NHS employees by bringing that forward. The government failed to commit to this last summer when wage increases for 900,000 workers elsewhere in the public sector were announced. A rise has now been promised by the chancellor but not until after the formal NHS pay review body reports back in May. This is likely to mean that NHS staff will not get a pay rise until July at the earliest, say the unions. Health secretary Matt Hancock has also said the increase must be determined by ‘affordability’ and Rishi Sunak has warned of restraint in future public sector pay awards.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

 

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