Unite members in London and Leeds to take industrial action after poor pay offer
Staff at the NHS Confederation, the membership body for organisations that commission and provide NHS services, are set to take industrial action over cuts to pay.
Unite, Britain’s leading trade union, announced that its NHS Confederation staff members will walk out on Thursday 5 October. They work in policy, communications, managerial and administrative roles within the organisation.
The strike, the first in the Confed’s history, coincides with a meeting of the organisation’s Board of Trustees.
Following the introduction of a new pay structure which saw one-in-five staff hit by a take-home pay cut and opportunities for pay progression curtailed, Unite members will head to the picket line as part of a campaign to reinstate staff pay and progression opportunities.
Nearly 90 per cent of members taking part in the ballot voted to take strike action. A Unite survey of all staff, before the pay cut was imposed, found 60 per cent already said they were struggling with the cost of living.
Picket line protests will take place at the two NHS Confederation offices.
When: Thursday 5 OCOTBER
Where: 11:30AM-1:00PM – NHS CONFEDERATION, 18 SMITH SQUARE, LONDON SW1P 3HZ
And 8.30AM-12.30pm NHS CONFEDERATION, 2 BREWERY WHARF, KENDALL STREET, LEEDS LS10 1JR
NHS Confederation membership includes acute trusts, ambulance trusts, community health service providers, foundation trusts, mental health providers, primary care networks and integrated care systems in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and some independent and voluntary sector healthcare organisations that deliver services within the NHS. While officially a charitable body, the NHS Confederation’s own annual report states that it has a strong cash balance and holds healthy reserves.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members at the NHS Confederation do vital roles and are asking that pay doesn’t go backwards in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. NHS Confederation staff will have the full backing of Unite in their fight for a better pay settlement.”
Unite regional officer, Karl Stephenson, added: “Our members have been forced to head to a picket line just to try and protect take-home pay, let alone for real terms pay to keep up with inflation during a cost-of-living crisis. The NHS Confederation should come back to the table with an improved offer.”
