NHS strike is on

Unite’s NHS members have today (September 26) voted resoundingly in favour of strike action in October, joining other health unions across the nation in their call for a fair, across-the-board pay rise.

 
Angered by David Cameron’s decision to reject the recommendations of an independent pay review board, which called for all workers to receive a 1 per cent pay rise, Unite’s health workers will take part in a four hour strike October 13.

 
Unite members in England will further be working to rule, adhering to a 37.5 hour week between October 13 and November 9, with ambulance staff imposing an additional overtime ban in their respective trusts from October 13 to October 19.

 
The pay review board asserted that the NHS could well afford to give all health service workers a one per cent pay rise, but the department of health has offered instead a one per cent rise to only some of its staff, excluding workers who receive automatic progression-in-the-job increases.

 
Unite head of health Rachael Maskell said,“Our members have given a resounding rejection to Cameron and his government who vetoed the one per cent pay rise, as recommended by the independent Pay Review Body (PRB). This meant that 600,000 NHS employees received no cost of living pay rise in April.

 
She added, “The calibrated industrial action is designed to achieve three objectives; to get the one per cent rise paid to all 1.3m NHS staff; respect future PRB recommendations; and obtain the ‘living wage’ to the 40,000 NHS staff being currently paid below that level.”

 
In England, members voted by a 62 per cent margin in favour of strike action and 77 per cent for industrial action short of a strike. In Northern Ireland, members voted by a 78 per cent margin in favour of strike action and 91 per cent industrial action short of a strike.

 
Scotland’s devolved government agreed to pay the one per cent pay rise to its entire staff and to implement the living wage, paying an extra £300 to its lowest paid workers, an offer Unite accepted.

 
NHS workers, many of whom work long, hard hours under extremely stressful conditions, have had to face real terms pay cuts for eight years. Since 2010, these cuts have amounted to a 12 to 15 per cent reduction in pay.