Health service workers in Northern Ireland must be paid fairly in line with rest of UK, says UNISON  

UNISON is balloting health service workers in Northern Ireland from today (Monday) over possible industrial action in its campaign to close the unfair pay gap with NHS staff in other parts of the UK. The union has been in discussions with the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland employers for the past eight months to bring staff into line with the NHS pay deals operating in England, Scotland and Wales. However, progress has stalled and staff are stepping up their efforts to be rewarded fairly, says UNISON. They will be voting over the next three weeks on whether to take industrial action and action short of a strike. Pay increases were not always awarded at the same level as the rest of the UK by the devolved government in Northern Ireland, says UNISON. NHS workers in Northern Ireland have only had a one-year deal of between 1.5 – 3% imposed last year, while other parts of the NHS were awarded three-year pay deals. A nurse or paramedic in Scotland for example takes home £24,670 a year and £24,214 in England or Wales. This compares with £22,795 for an NHS worker in Northern Ireland doing the same job. The Department of Health has said it does not have enough money to pay NHS employees. But UNISON says millions are being spent on agency staff so there is money to give staff the pay rise they are long overdue. UNISON Northern Ireland head of bargaining Anne Speed said: “Employees in Glasgow, Birmingham or Cardiff shouldn’t be valued more than tho...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: News Press release nhs pay Northern Ireland Source Type: news