Unions have to give a lead after the Labour government announced a pay insult for millions of public sector workers in health and education
NHS workers march on Downing Street, London in July 2022 to demand a pay rise.
Wednesday 11 December 2024
Health workers and teachers are angry at the Labour government’s latest insult to workers.
Ministers have recommended a pay increase of 2.8 percent next year for NHS workers and teachers. It’s barely above the predicted average rate of inflation of 2.6 percent—and that’s the lower CPI measure that doesn’t include housing costs.
On top of this, Labour said government departments would have to fund 2025-26 and future pay increases from their own budgets. That means ministers making cuts in health and education budgets.
Jordan is a health worker in east London and a leading activist in the Unison union. She told Socialist Worker that the 2.8 percent pay ceiling is “disgusting” and that NHS workers are already struggling to make ends meet.
“In the past, people used to do an overtime shift and put the money into their holiday savings,” she said. “Now overtime only helps you get through the month. We’re all working extra hours to survive.”
And Jordan says that means health unions need to step up their fight. “The government gave us a 5.5 percent settlement earlier this year,” she said. “Unison rightly said that we will need years of above-inflation rises to make up for pay erosion over many years.
“We lost between 15 and 20 percent of the value of our pay during the Tory governments—that’s money that we should now be clawing back.”
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In an email to members, Unison’s head of health, Helga Pile, acknowledged that pay offers based on the government’s 2.8 percent figure are “barely above inflation”. But it appeared she was keen to stress that “this isn’t the final outcome”.
Jordan thinks the only way to get a bigger increase is to fight for one. “Unison’s senior officials seem to think that Labour will only reward us if we don’t rock the boat. I think the opposite is true,” she said.
“The nurses’ RCN union has rightly rejected the 2.8 percent pay envelope as an insult. Unison is far less critical of Labour. But I want to hear fighting talk from my union now, and I want it to show members a lead.
“That means we should talk about linking up with all the other health unions and fighting together for a better deal.”
Trade unions have to start organising to win a fully-funded, inflation-busting pay rise.
Unison, the BMA, Unite and the NEU have all said a 2.8% pay rise next year isn’t enough
Trade unions have criticised the government’s proposals to increase public sector workers’ pay by 2.8% next year, warning that it will go down badly with staff and fail to tackle the recruitment crisis in public services.
Government departments have recommended a 2.8% pay rise for public sector workers, including teachers, NHS workers, and civil servants in 2025/26, which is only slightly above the Office for Budget Responsibility’s inflation forecast of 2.6% for that period.
In its evidence to public sector pay review bodies, the Treasury said that budgets for 2025/26 have now been fixed, and that “unlike in recent years, departments will not be given additional funding for pay awards”.
Unison has said that the government’s recommended pay increase will “go down badly with staff” and warned that ongoing problems with NHS pay scales could lead to more strikes.
Head of health at Unison, Helga Pile, said: “Staff are crucial in turning around the fortunes of the NHS.
“Improving performance is a key government pledge, but the pay rise proposed is barely above the cost of living.”
Pile added that the Agenda for Change pay scale, which has been in place since 2004, is “outdated” and has led to “lots of local strikes”.
“The decision to push tackling the outdated pay structure back into next year means there could well be more [strikes],” she said.
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said that “this latest below inflation pay recommendation is an insult to dedicated NHS staff and further evidence that the pay review body is broken beyond repair.”
Graham said that Unite has consistently argued that NHS pay concerns must be resolved directly through negotiations with the government, rather than through pay review bodies.
The National Education Union’s general secretary, Daniel Kebede, said the proposed pay deal “won’t do”.
Kebede said that a 2.8% increase is likely to be below inflation and behind wage increases in the wider economy, which he argued will deepen the crisis in the education sector.
He said that “teacher pay has been cut by over a fifth in real terms since 2010, hitting teacher living standards and damaging the competitive position of teaching against other graduate professions”.
Kebede said that “instead of continuing with failed Conservative austerity”, the government needs to fully fund pay increases that are needed to recruit and retain teachers.
He added: “We are putting the Government on notice. Our members care deeply about education and feel the depth of the crisis. This won’t do.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Public sector pay offer: TUC warns of ‘real concern across trade union movement’
Union leaders have hit out at proposals to raise pay by 2.8% for millions of public sector workers, with the TUC’s general secretary urging the government to bring in “meaningful pay rises”.
Some of the proposed pay rises set out on Tuesday would increase the salaries of many teachers, NHS workers and senior civil servants – but many have been quick to note the proposed rate is only marginally higher than projected inflation.
The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts inflation will average 2.5% this year and 2.6% next year.
TUC General SecretaryPaul Nowak said: “There are real concerns across the trade union movement about the government’s recommendation.
“We all know the pressure on public finances from the mess the Tories left things in. But as the government’s evidence acknowledges, the recruitment and retention crisis in our public sector has been driven in part by pay. And it has caused a deterioration in our schools, hospitals, local councils and other services families depend on.
“It’s hard to see how you address the crisis in our services without meaningful pay rises. And it’s hard to see how services cut to the bone by 14 years of Tory government will find significant cash savings.”
The Chancellor has repeatedly insisted that difficult measures will be needed to keep public finances under control.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the government had launched a “reset” in its relations with trade unions, and was working “collaboratively” with them.
But he said the “black hole” inherited meant tough decisions, suggesting pay rises would have to be met from departmental spending budgets and productivity gains.
UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “The government has inherited a financial mess from its predecessors, but this is not what NHS workers wanted to hear.
“Staff are crucial in turning around the fortunes of the NHS. Improving performance is a key government pledge, but the pay rise proposed is barely above the cost of living.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This latest below inflation pay recommendation is an insult to dedicated NHS staff and further evidence that the pay review body is broken beyond repair.”
Notably one other Labour-affiliated union, GMB, has so far avoided commenting publicly on the proposals.
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