Nurses: Why do you even need money at all?

Last year, MPs awarded themselves an 11% pay rise. In the NHS, we got zero. Nurses, porters, physiotherapists got not a penny extra to share for the fourth year running. 

So when the Department of Health refused to implement the minuscule recommendation of the Pay Review Body, a 1% pay rise for all staff for 2014-2015 and again for 2015-2016, unions had no option but to ballot for strike action.  

We took 4 hours in October and another 4 in November. Public sympathy was high. Cars and ambulances providing essential cover beeped in support and strangers came to picket lines with hot tea and fresh samosas. It must've been working because the government made an offer. It's complicated but when you scratch the surface it really is a pretty poor offer. 

1) scrapping pay-point 1 so everyone earns £15k minimum. 

2) £200 cash for anyone below £17k, so bands 1, 2 and some 3s. 

3) 1 year increment freeze for band 8as and above. 

4) some talks about how redundancy payouts are calculated. 

5) The meat and gravy: a 1% consolidated pay rise for all staff up to top of 8b for financial year 15-16. 

That's it. 

By writing off 2014-2015, we're duped out of 1%. 

Top Banders:
People at the top of their band won't get anything for 15-16. Top Banders were awarded a 1% non-consolidated rise for 14-15 only. They are due to loose it in April. This offer means the 1% non consolidated will be consolidated, which means its pensionable and payable on unsocial hours. Depending on your shifts, you could end up with a reduction in your take home pay. Plus, you've been conned out of 1% overall. 

Non Top Banders:
Got nothing for 14-15 and 1% consolidated for 15-16. So we too have been denied a pretty small award of 1% year on year, 14-15, 15-16. 





Even the Pay Review Body recommended we get 1% per year, over the 2 years. This is 1% over the 2 years. And we achieved this with just 8 hours of strike action. In the run up to the General Election, no-one wants a strike in the NHS less than the government. This puts us in a pretty strong position to get what we asked for. REJECT!!!