Vote 'No' to the Three Year Deal

Both sections of Unite have come out firmly against the three-year pay deal. There is a poster you can download and print to display at your workplace.

Statement from Tooting Unite (Amicus Section)

This statement was issued after being agreed at a Unite (Amicus Section) meeting held at Tooting on 18th April 2008. The Unite (T&G Section) Branch Chair (David Linsey) was present at the meeting and offered the support of the members in donor services.

We do not believe that the case for the closure of Tooting NBS Processing & Testing departments has been sufficiently proven.

After examining the little data that has been shown to us, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that the revised plans ensure that the patients we serve in this most densely populated region of the country, will continue to receive a quality and timely service, neither can the board meet the rigorous timescales proposed. Furthermore, we have no confidence in the entire basis upon which the case for closure has been made.

Although we are appalled that technical workers will lose their jobs as a result of these plans and that their expertise will be lost to the nation, our principal concern is for the health of the patients we serve. We call on MPs locally and nationally, to question the process the NHSBT board wants to undertake before work begins on the closures, and to ensure beyond doubt on our behalf that their constituents will not suffer as a result.

Unison Narrowly Votes in Favour of Pay Offer

A motion to reject the three year pay deal was narrowly defeated at the Unison Healthcare Conference by 214,059 to 201,001 after a card vote was taken. This illustrates the strength of feeling against the deal which offers sub-inflation pay rises for the second and possible third and fourth year in a row.

Unite has already rejected the offer as well as some of the smaller unions including the Royal College of Midwives.

Threats have been made by the NHS Chief Executive, David Nicholson, to impose an even worse pay deal if the three year deal is rejected when it goes to a ballot of the full membership.

The pay situation since the first three year pay deal in 2004 is as follows:
For every pound you earned in 2004, you now earn £1.16 if the current deal is accepted, if your pay had kept up with inflation, you would be earning £1.18 and if your pay had kept up with earnings, you would be earning £1.22. This is just a repeat of what happened twenty years ago when our pay was steadily eroded until nurses were forced to take industrial action.

April Newsletter

The April newsletter is now available on the branch website. Hard copies will also be made available to members.