Ongoing disputes make it impossible to submit evidence to NHS pay review body, say health unions  

Health unions won’t be submitting joint evidence to the NHS pay review body for the next wage round while the current industrial disputes remain unresolved, it has been announced today (Wednesday). Instead, the 14 unions – representing more than one million ambulance staff, nurses, porters, healthcare assistants, physiotherapists and other NHS workers in England – have called for direct pay talks with ministers. Unions believe the lengthy pay review body process is not able to deliver what is needed right now. That’s a deal that resolves the current pay and staffing dispute and puts in place a settlement needed to get the NHS back on track. In the current economic climate, it would be far better if NHS pay negotiations could be convened involving unions, employers and ministers, say the unions. This should ensure a speedier outcome, and one that could deliver the kind of settlement necessary to turn the NHS staffing crisis around. The deadline for submitting evidence for the 2022/23 pay year was the end of last January. But it was almost six months later when ministers made public their acceptance of the review body’s £1,400 flat-rate rise. By then inflation had gone through the roof, say unions. The unions have now decided against a formal collective submission to the pay review body this year, preferring the more direct approach of talks with ministers. Evidence for the 2023/24 pay round is meant to be submitted today (11 January). Instead, the NHS unions have c...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release nhs pay Sara Gorton Source Type: news