Should NHS Staff Take Industrial Action?

In a failing attempt by the Government to offer NHS staff a pay rise for the incredible work they have done over the Covid-19 period, the unions are now stepping in, and industrial action is being considered.

What Has the Government Done?

In November 2020 the UK Government announced a pay freeze for public sector workers for 2021-22, but exceptions were made for NHS workers and those earning salaries under £24,000. Despite the vital work they have done over the pandemic, the Government evidently believes that this should not be rewarded. Therefore, we observe the Government seemingly trying to save money when only months ago it was dishing out contracts worth millions of pounds to its friends.

On finally realising that clapping couldn’t ever equate to the financial reward NHS staff deserved after all their tireless work, the Department for Health and Social Care initially offered a 1% pay rise in March 2021, claiming it was the only affordable rise. But following a recommendation by the independent NHS pay review body, this was increased to 3%. And before I explore the reactions to these proposals, I would like to emphasise that the Department of Health and Social Care initially claiming that only a 1% rise was affordable highlights the failing management of Government finances and priorities.

How Have the Unions Reacted?

I would think relatively unsurprisingly, the majority of unions have been highly critical of these proposals. The union Unite described the offer as “grossly inadequate and underwhelming, given the sacrifices health staff have made over the last 18 months combating coronavirus”. A national officer for the union GMB, Rachel Harrison, said “NHS workers know their worth and so do the public – shame on the government who don’t”.

However, I would consider the most active union on this issue to be the Royal College of Nursing, who have already launched the Fair Pay for Nursing campaign in order to try to achieve their demands from the Government. They are demanding a 12.5% pay rise for staff. But they say it is about more than just that, they want recognition of “the complexity of skill, responsibility and experience demonstrated every day, by nursing support workers, assistant practitioners, nursing associates, registered nurses and all members of the profession.” It is also about “making sure that a safety critical profession can reach safe staffing levels and fill tens of thousands of unfilled nursing jobs.” And also about “recognising that the salaries of too many nursing professionals has not kept pace with increases to their living costs over the past decade.”

Many unions are now consulting their members and considering industrial action. For industrial action to take place, a vote needs to have occurred within a union and this vote needs to have been organised through an official ballot. This vote must include a majority of union members who are entitled to vote. For any industrial action including workers which the Government deem to provide an “important public service” at least 40% of the workers balloted must vote in favour of the industrial action for the following industrial action to be lawful.

My Conclusion

NHS workers have been forced to suffer through Tory Austerity for over 10 years now, that’s over 10 years of disappearing funding and resources. They have continued to work hard throughout everything, and they have been the backbone of the UK’s fight against Covid-19. And after all this, the UK Government is still thinking of their most budget-friendly option instead of how they can appropriately repay the massive debt they owe to the people who kept this country moving. Disgraceful. They are putting their money before the people, but it’s hard to say that it’s a surprise. Therefore, the Government should meet the demands of the Royal College of Nursing’s Fair Pay for Nursing campaign and recognise the insult which their pay rise offers have been. But even more crucially to the issue, in whatever pay rise the Government offers, no one should be excluded. This is important because currently the pay rise is excluding the NHS’ 61,000 junior doctors -all medics below the level of consultant, some GPs and all health staff who are employed by the NHS’ private contractors. They have been fighting and are still fighting the pandemic heroically, so why should they be excluded?

For the Government, the answer to the above question is simple, it saves them money. They have got their financial management and priorities in a real twist.

I believe that the only way to wake up the Government into doing what is right is to put them in a situation where they are under pressure and can’t lie themselves out of it. And this situation would be best achieved through industrial action. The Government know the NHS has been, is, and will continue to be the backbone of this country. Therefore, such a situation would steal their focus, maybe pressuring them into panic mode and will force them to recognise what NHS staff truly deserve.

There is power in a union.