NHS Pay – Be Counted!
UNISON needs to know whether you want to take action over your 3% pay award.
If you’re employed by the NHS in England, this ballot is for you – whether or not you voted in UNISON’s summer consultation, and whichever way you voted if you did.
4 out of 5 members who voted last time said they wanted to challenge the government’s 3% pay award through industrial action. So UNISON’s policy is to oppose the pay outcome. But because we only heard from a minority of members, we can’t have confidence just yet that a formal vote on industrial action has the backing it would need.
As a UNISON member, you are part of the decision our union must make – whether or not to move to a formal ballot on taking industrial action over this year’s pay award. The pay award and associated backpay went in your September pay packet, and we’re clear the only way to improve it is taking collective and sustained industrial action which forces the government to reconsider.
Meanwhile, the trade unions have already begun the work needed to make the strongest possible case for next year’s pay rise. On the other hand, the situation is even worse now than when the 3% was announced. Living costs are through the roof, wiping out the value of the award before you even got it. The government has announced a 1.25% national insurance hike from April next year. And many members will be hurt by the senseless Universal Credit cut. As NHS staff you’re hurtling into winter crises and overwhelming patient backlogs without enough colleagues to share the workload. This is a numbers game. We want the result of the vote to reflect what a large proportion of people really want to do: we need to hear from at least 45% of members to have confidence that we could reach the level of turnout that trade union laws require.
Your voice counts, so make your vote count. Voting is open until 5 December and the simplest way to vote is to check your email for your one click personal link. It only takes a minute! If you’ve got questions, or can’t find your email, just head to http://nhspay.org/faq
Work for the NHS but not in UNISON? Join by 23 November to get your vote and be counted. join.unison.org.uk or call 0800 171 2194.
