UNISON has launched the next stage of its NHS pay campaign, which is urging members to Pledge Yes for the NHS.
The campaign follows the government’s imposition of a £1,400 pay increase on NHS workers in England.
UNISON says the award is nowhere near enough to keep pace with rising prices, is nowhere near what’s needed to improve staffing and protect patient care, and will only worsen the current NHS staffing crisis.
Since the pay announcement on 19 July, the government has refused to negotiate with unions. As a result, UNISON’s health service group executive agreed that the only effective way to challenge the pay award is through a formal industrial action ballot which will open in late October.
In the meantime, the union is encouraging its NHS members to get active, visit the website and ‘pledge yes’ to voting for industrial action in October.
Speaking of the campaign, UNISON’s head of health Sara Gorton said: “It is a challenge, but now is the time to take this on. We’re in the biggest cost of living and NHS staffing crisis in history.
“We’ve seen other parts of UNISON, and other unions across our movement, beat anti-trade union laws and deliver effective action. We can too – with hard work and the backing of our members, this is a fight we can win.”
