All of the latest news and views from the Unite NHSBT Branch in the NHS Blood and Transplant Authority. The views are those of the author (David Linsey) and not necessarily of Unite. The blog is currently open for comments to anyone registered with blogger.com.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Don't Forget to Vote

You still have two days to vote in our industrial action ballet. The envelopes have to be posted by Tuesday, 11th November 2008 in order to reach the Electoral Reform Society by Wednesday, 12th November 2008. Unite is recommending a 'Yes' vote on both questions. This ballot was the result of the refusal by management to budge from the below-inflation pay rises offered in the three-year deal.

The so-called re-opener clause is proving to be toothless as it is now the decision of the pay review body rather than a contractual right. With the government worried about extra spending to cope with the banking crisis, it is very unlikely that they will change the original amounts, meaning we will get a 2.4% pay rise while inflation is running at 5%.

A successful 'Yes' vote will send a strong message to the government that we will not be held responsible for the mistakes of the banks, who continue to pay large bonuses to their executives while taking our tax money to bail them out.