Why we should reject the NHS England pay offer
We can do better.
Reballot all health workers without a mandate, reinstate the action!
We have to start by saying clearly that we would have got nothing extra this year if it had not been for amazing health workers who voted by massive majorities for strikes across many unions. And for those who crossed 50% turnout thresholds and went on strike – in the RCN, in UNISON, in CSP physios, in Unite and in GMB and now in the BMA. We all owe real thanks to those who courageously and defiantly stood on cold pickets. And to those who have solidarity. It shows strikes can win rises.
The offer for 2022/23 is a big improvement on the absolutely insulting £1,400 (4.7% average). It is 6% more and will be paid as a one off lump sum. It is funded.
Unfortunately it will be non-consolidated. This means it is a one-off payment that will not continue to an increased salary next year.
So we get an increased NHS pay bill for 2022/23 of 10.75%. This is much better than 4.7%, but it is still well below inflation. It means the 13th year of NHS pay awards below inflation.
For 2023/24 the offer is really bad. It’s 5% across the board except for the bottom of band 2 which is abolished so get 10.4%. Once you take away the 6% non consolidated rise from 2022/23, it means a 5% across the board rise. This amounts to anyone below top band 7 getting 1% or more less in pounds in our pay packets that we did in 2022/3. It’s a pay cut of 1% that year e.g. £352 less for top band 5.
How will two more years of pay cuts stop health workers leaving the NHS? How will it enable us to fill the 135,000 unfilled vacancies we have now? How will it improve patient care or staff well-being as we work harder and harder?
We could have done so much better. Junior doctors in the BMA (whose starting salary after 5 years at Uni is only £14.10 per hour) joined the strike action this week. They are determined to win pay restoration of all the money they have lost in the last 15 years. Their 3 days’ strike action without any exemptions really put the government under pressure and led to our talks.
Imagine what we could win if unions reballoted all their branches who did not reach the thresholds. If strikes were reinstated. If the BMA and other health unions fought together. We could strike together and win together - united, one Team, One NHS, happy staff with safe numbers to do a proper job.
We do not see any group of staff as different or better than any others. We all play our part. We all pay bills. We need to stand together, not separate. Just like we do not fall for their attacks on people who come in small boats, when we know it’s the people in big boats and super-yachts who are ripping us off in utility, fuel, supermarket, PPE and other profiteering scandals.
What can we do now? We think we should reject this deal as we can do better, especially for the second year.
However poor we are, don’t be bribed by the first year lump sum into accepting an actual pay cut in the second. It just delays our debts. The government can find money like they did for Defence (£5bn, which would pay the junior doctors 35% claim 5 times over), £2bn for rich people’s pensions, £200bn for Trident.
We should:
Reject NHS pay offer
Reballot all members for strike
Reinstate the action
We can do much better.