Dear Unite Members,
Subject: The Government £1400 pay award represents a real pay cut for NHS workers – enough is enough, get ready to take action.
Last week the Government delivered another kick in the teeth to you, health sector workers with their acceptance of the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) report published last Tuesday meaning that NHS workers in England have been kicked in the teeth and will all suffer a real terms pay cut. Our General Secretary, Sharon Graham summed it up in her statement here.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Unite the Union does not negotiate pay for NHS workers and pay is determined via the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB). Unite submits evidence to the pay review body report and we asked for was published here.
Here are the main points that have emerged from the announcement last week:
· The NHS PRB recommendation is for a pay rise effective from 1st April 2022 for all Agenda for change staff at the full time equivalent salary of £1400.
· This pay rise will be increased to 4% for staff at the top of bands 6 and band 7.
· This 4% uplift will not be applied to bands 8 and 9
· This increase will include the National Living wage adjustment made on 1st April 2022 that applied to Bands 1 and 2. Which means the £1400 increase will be applied on top of the National Living wage adjustment made in April earlier this year.
· The NHS PRB recommendation is above what the UK Government has budgeted for, this pay rise will be funded from existing Department of Health and Social Care and NHS Budgets, which may impact already stretched NHS services.
We have done some work to display what this pay award means to you.
| 2021/22 | 2022/23 | |||||||
| Annual pay rates | Hourly rate | Annual Pay Increase | Hourly Pay Increase | Percentage | New Annual Pay rates | Hourly Pay Increase | ||
| Band 1* | 1 | £18,870 | £9.65 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 7.42% | £20,270 | £10.37 |
| Band 2 | 1 | £18,870 | £9.65 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 7.42% | £20,270 | £10.37 |
| 2 | £19,918 | £10.19 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 7.03% | £21,318 | £10.90 | |
| Band 3 | 3 | £20,330 | £10.40 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 6.89% | £21,730 | £11.11 |
| 4 | £21,777 | £11.14 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 6.43% | £23,177 | £11.85 | |
| Band 4 | 5 | £22,549 | £11.53 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 6.21% | £23,949 | £12.25 |
| 6 | £24,882 | £12.73 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 5.63% | £26,282 | £13.44 | |
| Band 5 | 7 | £25,655 | £13.12 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 5.46% | £27,055 | £13.84 |
| 8 | £27,780 | £14.21 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 5.04% | £29,180 | £14.92 | |
| 9 | £31,534 | £16.13 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 4.44% | £32,934 | £16.84 | |
| Band 6 | 10 | £32,306 | £16.52 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 4.33% | £33,706 | £17.24 |
| 11 | £34,172 | £17.48 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 4.10% | £35,572 | £18.19 | |
| 12 | £39,027 | £19.96 | £1,561 | £0.80 | 4.00% | £40,588 | £20.76 | |
| Band 7 | 13 | £40,057 | £20.49 | £1,602 | £0.82 | 4.00% | £41,659 | £21.31 |
| 14 | £42,121 | £21.54 | £1,685 | £0.86 | 4.00% | £43,806 | £22.40 | |
| 15 | £45,839 | £23.44 | £1,834 | £0.94 | 4.00% | £47,673 | £24.38 | |
| Band 8a | 16 | £47,126 | £24.10 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 2.97% | £48,526 | £24.82 |
| 17 | £53,219 | £27.22 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 2.63% | £54,619 | £27.93 | |
| Band 8b | 18 | £54,764 | £28.01 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 2.56% | £56,164 | £28.72 |
| 19 | £63,862 | £32.66 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 2.19% | £65,262 | £33.38 | |
| Band 8c | 20 | £65,664 | £33.58 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 2.13% | £67,064 | £34.30 |
| 21 | £75,874 | £38.80 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 1.85% | £77,274 | £39.52 | |
| Band 8d | 22 | £78,192 | £39.99 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 1.79% | £79,592 | £40.70 |
| 23 | £90,387 | £46.23 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 1.55% | £91,787 | £46.94 | |
| Band 9 | 24 | £93,735 | £47.94 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 1.49% | £95,135 | £48.65 |
| 25 | £108,075 | £55.27 | £1,400 | £0.72 | 1.30% | £109,475 | £55.99 | |
*Band 1 has now been closed to new entrants
Please note high cost area supplements such as London
allowances are not included, nor are any unsocial hours or Recruitment
Retention Premia (RRP)
The Unite response: What next?
Unite believes that this year’s
NHS pay award is a real terms pay cut that fails to address the cost of living
crisis for NHS workers.
· The award does
not keep pace with rising costs as inflation as measured by the retail price
index (RPI) is currently at 11.7%
·
Motor Fuel prices have gone up 42.3% in the last
year.
·
NHS workers’ pay has been eroded by the increase in
National Insurance contributions and the expected rise in NHS pension
contributions due in October 2022.
Government are trying to tell you
that they cannot give pay rises to match the rising cost of living since this
will cause inflation, though inflation has not been caused by decent pay rises,
but by increasing energy prices and shortages in the global economy.
Unite’s national committee of
health members working in the NHS, like you, has met last week and will meet
this week to set a timetable to ensure that you will asked about what you think
about the pay award and give you an opportunity to take action. We will work
and speak with other NHS trade unions to co-ordinate a joint response as much
as possible.
What can you do now?
1.
We
intend to let you say your say on this pay award and ask you whether you want
do something about it by taking industrial action. It is very important to
check that your membership details are up to date on my
Unite or with your
local Unite District Office
to ensure we have the correct contact and work information on you.
2. Display Unite materials regarding
various issues including pay in your workplace and ask other members and fellow
employees to wear stickers and badges to show their support for our campaigns
for health workers.
3. Contact your Unite in Health workplace
representative or Unite Regional or District office to set up a meeting with
you and your work colleagues.
4. Perhaps you want to help by becoming a
Unite workplace representative by helping pass on information to your
colleagues and ensuring our messages reach members and potential members. Check
out what a Unite workplace representative does here or email us.
5.
Do feedback to us and even record a video telling
us what you think; we can put it on social media. Send it to [email protected]