10 Reasons why NHS workers deserve fair pay

They work hard taking care of us, delivering the vital services that we rely on to keep us healthy and safe, but who’s taking care of them? It’s not this government!

1. Our NHS is amazing, thanks to the 1.3 million people who work in it!

Today alone, dedicated NHS staff will care for some the 175,000 suffering a heart attack this year and 80,000 patients undergoing cancer treatment this year. Not to mention the 700,000 babies that are born, 10 million operations performed and 21.3 million Accident and Emergency admissions that are dealt with each year by these guardian angels.

2. NHS workers have been squeezed long enough

Since 2010, NHS workers have been hammered with three years of pay freezes, a hike in pension contributions and cuts to on call and out of hours payments, losing nearly 15 per cent of their wages in real terms over the last four years.

3. Shrinking wages and rising costs have left many NHS workers struggling to get by month to month….

One third of NHS workers already earn less than ÂŁ21,000 a year but with wages shrinking by as much as 15% in real terms over the last four years and the cost of living soaring to a high of 5.6% (RPI), heating and eating for all NHS staff has become much much harder.

4. In April the government came back for more…

60 per cent of NHS workers will get no cost of living pay increase this year year, it announced, not even the measly 1 per cent recommended by the independent Pay Review Body (PRB). Nada, nil, zilch! Only those at the very top of their pay bands will receive 1% non-consolidated, which is more like a one-off bonus than a proper pay rise.

5. It’s not fair!

Denying 615,000 NHS workers a cost of living increase for four out of the last five years when top NHS chiefs have seen their pay rise by 6.1% on average is inexplicable. 428 of the most senior NHS managers earn more than ÂŁ250,000. If they’re worth it, so is everyone!

6. 1% for the lowest paid is pennies, literally

7. There’s enough money to give every NHS worker 1%, George Osborne said so…

Last June Chancellor George Osborne said that NHS pay would be capped at 1% for the next two years. Not great, but better than the 0% now being offered. The NHS Pay Review Body then followed this up with its recommendation that all NHS staff should get a 1% consolidated pay rise. So what went wrong?

8. Out-of-touch multi millionarie minister denies miniscule pay rise to 615,000

In march, Jeremy Hunt, the multi-millionaire health secretary, went against the recommendation of the PRB to deny 615,000 workers a miniscule 1% pay rise. He’s the richest man in David Cameron’s cabinet of millionaires, worth a staggering ÂŁ18.65 million with no clue of the daily struggle to pay the bills.

9. It’s hard to swallow – no wonder NHS workers have had…

NHS workers lived on less money through the darkest days of the recession. They’ve done their bit for austerity – asking for more from them now is unfair.
10. The economy’s in recovery, right?

We’re told the economy is in recovery, so then why is it the rich getting richer, while the rest us struggle on poverty pay? Senior NHS managers have seen their salaries rise by 6.1% in the last two years – almost four times the average rate for nurses and health visitors (Via Guadian / RCN report). And Britain’s top bosses are not feeling the pain- the CEOs of the UK’s top 100 companies now earn a jaw-dropping 143 times more than their staff. (High Pay Centre)

Let’s end the siege on NHS workers’ wages together.

Unite is calling on members working in the NHS to vote YES for action on NHS Pay.

Half a million NHS workers, members of Unite, Unison, GMB and the RCM are being balloted for strike action over the government’s pay insult. Strike action is never an easy decision, even harder in the NHS, but the government has pushed hard pressed workers into a corner. Now’s the time to stand together.

Get ready to vote YES for fair pay – you deserve it.

Unite’s NHS pay ballot opens today (Tuesday 26 August) and closes on Friday 26 September.

Keep an eye out for your ballot pack in the post! Click here for more details.