GMB Members Reject Three-year Pay Deal

The 25,000 members of the GMB union in the health service have voted by 96% to reject the three-year pay deal agreed with the RCN and Unison. This is the report from the Nursing Times website:

Union rejects pay offer

* Published: 30 May 2008 12:40
* Author: Richard Staines

Health workers from the GMB union have almost unanimously rejected the 8% three-year pay award for NHS workers in a postal ballot.

Voting papers went out to 25,000 individual members, and of the valid forms returned, 96% rejected the deal.

The ballot included nursing assistants as well as support staff such as caterers, ancillary staff and administrators.

The union is now calling an immediate meeting with health secretary Alan Johnson to call for a rethink. A spokesperson for the GMB said: 'I have never seen a pay offer turned down by this amount. The three year deal is dead in the water.'

Sharon Holder, GMB National Officer added: 'The ballot result is a resounding no. This result vindicates the position of the GMB negotiators who knew instinctively that GMB members would not tolerate this unacceptable, long term pay offer. The Department of Health must be instructed to put a one year deal on the table that GMB members can accept.'

Richard Staines. Deputy news editor Nursing Times