NHS Pay Claim 2018
Dated September 2017
GMB along with 14 other trade unions (the BMA chose to opt out at the last moment) in the National Health Service have written to Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, demanding that the Government fully fund a pay rise for NHS staff.
NHS pay is set by a Pay Review Body, which takes evidence from trade unions and employers, and makes recommendations, which the Government can ignore (which it has for Police Officers).
However, the Government has told the PRB, it must take account of “affordability”, when making recommendations – thereby imposing a pay cap of 1% on the NHS.
This unprecedented move to put forward a pay claim in advance of the Government issuing its remit to the PRB, has been proposed by GMB in the past, but attracted little support from other trade unions.
The GMB Pay Pinch Campaign, launched before the election was announced exposed the losses that NHS staff have suffered under pay freezes and pay caps.
It had an impact on the general election, with the Labour Party and others endorsing GMB’s call for an end to the pay cap.
Opinion Polls carried out during the election and in the months after show that there is a huge level of support for the end of pay restraint, even among Conservative voters.
Since 2010, NHS employees will have had substantial amounts of money pinched out of pay packets, because of pay cuts and the 1% pay cap as the panel opposite shows.
The NHS pay claim
An increase equivalent to inflation (currently 3.9%)
A consolidated increase of £800 per annum
Full funding of the above by the Government
Full funding for a refresh of the current Agenda for
Pay pinch losses
GMB research for its pay pinch campaign (www.gmb.org.uk/campaigns) shows that since 2010,
NHS Cleaners will have had a real terms cut in pay of £6025
Hospital Porters will have had a real terms cut in pay of £7285
Staff Nurses will have had a real terms cut in pay of £14572
Midwives will have had a real terms cut in pay of £18011
