Inflation 4.6%; Next Year's Pay Rise 2.4%

With inflation continuing to rise at record speed, there is yet no sign of the so-called 're opener' clause being invoked. There is almost no mention of the latest inflation figures on the RCN or Unison websites. The RCN does claim that the increase in mileage allowances will help staff travelling to and from work, but they fail to mention that you are not normally allowed to claim for travel to your normal workplace.

The increase in mileage allowances will mostly benefit those already on higher pay. In the NHSBT it is only nurses that can claim mileage allowances for travelling to sessions, whilst donor carers not only can't claim for this but are sometimes forced to claim fewer hours than the normal team times if they make their own way to session.

If staff need to use cars for work, they should be provided by the employer. Increasing allowances only encourages people to drive more and does nothing to help reduce carbon emissions. Whilst most of the car allowances are above the levels recommended by the inland revenue (which is 40 pence a mile) the cycling allowance is only half the recommended level with the latest increase to ten pence a mile.