The largest public sector trade union has warned the government that its members will ‘not sit back’ and allow the national pay bargaining system for the NHS to be broken up.
Speaking today at Unison’s annual health conference in Brighton, general secretary Dave Prentis said that the union was ready to take industrial action to protect the national pay agreement.
His comments come as the government consults on moves away from the current national pay agreements across the public sector. The Treasury has said this would allow public sector pay to respond to differences in labour demand and price conditions across the UK.
Chancellor George Osborne has asked the independent NHS Pay Review Body to recommend ‘how to make pay more market facing in local areas for NHS Agenda for Change [pay framework] staff’. Earlier this month, the Department of Health also wrote to the pay review body, confirming that it ‘considers current pay does not adequately reflect general… geographical variations in recruitment and retention’.
But Prentis, whose union represents over 400,000 workers in both the NHS and private contractors providing NHS services, said changes would face ‘resistance’.
He added: ‘We will not sit back and allow Andrew Lansley to destroy our national pay agreement. If he tries to undermine Agenda for Change, if he tries to reduce the pay of our members who live and work in poorer communities, if the unjust and unfair pay freeze does not end - we will make our stand.’
The union had already ‘resisted’ planned government reforms to pensions across the public sector, he said. ‘If they come for our pay we will be ready, prepared and if we need to move to industrial action to protect everything that is right then we will do it.’
Responding to the speech, a Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘We have submitted evidence to the independent NHS Pay Review Body as part of their review of how pay can be made more responsive to local labour markets in England. This is a significant step towards creating a more balanced regional economy that ensures wages are set at the right level in every location across the public sector.
‘The Department of Health's evidence explains how more market facing pay could help employers make better use of the limited NHS pay bill. The review body will consider the evidence and report their recommendations in the summer.’
The move has also been criticised by the Labour party, which has warned that the plan is ‘flawed’.
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said that the policy ‘fails the fairness test’.
He added: ‘Paying people differently for the same work is difficult to justify. Indeed, it is often harder to work on the NHS frontline in more deprived parts of the country.
‘National pay is an important part of the infrastructure that underpins a national health service and Labour will defend it. It is fair to staff, brings stability to the NHS and balance to our economy.’
