Last Autumn the Tories gave NHS workers a £1,400 pay
increase even although inflation, particularly on food, energy and housing was
running significantly higher.
UNISON’s response was to ballot all our NHS members in
England but disappointingly even with all of the hard work put in by branches
and members, due to the savage balloting restrictions placed on trade unions by
this Tory Government only eight UNISON branches got over the 50% turnout
threshold to make strike action legal.
The response from supporters of Time for Real Change in our
union was to simply ballot everyone again, not withstanding the cost, the
limits on branch activists and staff and the previous results. I argued instead
we should target re-ballots on several branches to allow us to concentrate our
resources in the branches that had gotten nearest to the threshold figure. The
Health Group Executive agreed and we re-balloted ten health branches and in a
great show of success we got nine of these ten branches to not only vote for
industrial action but to do so in large enough numbers to get us over the legal
thresholds to allow us to take action.
Six days of strike action by our members took place between
December 21 2022 and February 10 2023. That industrial action and hard negotiating
have now resulted in the Tories increasing their offer. As well as the original
£1,400 an additional lump sum beginning at £1,655 for the lowest paid and
rising through the bands has been offered. On top of that a pay rise of 5% for
2023/24 has ben offered even although the Tories had originally told the Pay
Review Body only 3.5% would be on the table. Additionally, a pay increase of
10.4% has been won for the lowest paid.
What I wont pretend to people is that we have won everything
our members deserve but due to the courage of members who took action and
strong negotiating this right wing Tory Government have been forced to make
significant concessions they vowed they wouldn’t do.
It is now up to our members to decide as it should be.
Members will receive their electronic ballot papers via an email link and voting will run from
March 28 to April 14. I will listen to and support our members in whatever
decision they take. Our members are there when we need them in their daily
jobs. I promise I will be there when they need our union to support them".
Gordon McKay