23 March 2018

Unions this week held the government to account over NHS pay, offering their members a settlement that could mean a 29% rise for some workers.

Overall, 14 unions were involved in bargaining negotiations, forcing the government to abandon its 'red line' on staff sacrificing a day of leave in lieu of the first raise above the 1% cap in seven years.

The average pay rise is proposed at 6.5%, although some workers could be due a 29% increase over a three-year period.

The Treasury has fully committed to funding the suggested settlement, and it is now down to the members of the unions involved to vote on whether or not they accept the deal.

After seven years of austerity and plummeting real wages that have seen NHS workers forced to rely on food banks and financial hardship funds, this result demonstrates the value of collective bargaining in redressing the imbalance of power between employers and staff and allowing workers to have their voices heard.

The Institute of Employment Rights recommends the reinstatement of sectoral collective bargaining - by which means employers' associations and unions negotiate wages and conditions across entire industries - as the best way to close the UK's yawning wage gap.

However, it has been pointed out that some members may view the deal as too little too late, with even a 6.5% pay rise not being high enough to fully compensate hard-working public sector staff for all that they have lost. The political will to provide a fair wage to the affected workers has been lacking, with the settlement agreed only after public opinion forced the government's hand, and just prior to pivotal local elections.