Management have made a very slightly improved offer on the pay award. However, it is not being officially announced until Monday.
This means that full details are not yet available.
It is heavily rumoured that staging will still take place.
Once the announcement is made on Monday, UNISON will begin the process of balloting members on the offer.
Friday 27 July 2007
Friday 6 July 2007
2007 PAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5 JULY 2007
HEALTH UNIONS IN LAST DITCH TALKS WITH NEW HEALTH SECRETARY TO AVERT STRIKE
New Health Secretary Alan Johnson has agreed to urgently reopen discussions on health workers pay, following the call for talks last week by the UK¹s largest health union, UNISON.
UNISON National Officer for Health Mike Jackson said:
³We very much welcome these last ditch talks to avert industrial action.
Living costs have risen far faster than the paltry pay offer on the table and our health workers are underpaid as it is. They simply cannot afford to accept the offer on the table as it stands.²
Earlier this year health workers were offered a miserly 2.5% pay offer. The offer was cut even further because Government and employers said it had to be staged. An increase of just 1.5% was offered from April 2007, but the final settlement of 2.5% is only due to be paid from November 2007. This effectively reduced the annual pay offer to below 2%, yet living costs have risen at more than double that figure.
Health workers ire grew in England as they learned during the last few weeks that the 2.5% pay offer in Wales and Scotland would not be staged.
UNISON has scheduled a ballot of members for industrial action due to take place in September 2007.
UNISON is the UK¹s largest health union representing 460,000 health workers.
Talks are expected to begin early next week.
HEALTH UNIONS IN LAST DITCH TALKS WITH NEW HEALTH SECRETARY TO AVERT STRIKE
New Health Secretary Alan Johnson has agreed to urgently reopen discussions on health workers pay, following the call for talks last week by the UK¹s largest health union, UNISON.
UNISON National Officer for Health Mike Jackson said:
³We very much welcome these last ditch talks to avert industrial action.
Living costs have risen far faster than the paltry pay offer on the table and our health workers are underpaid as it is. They simply cannot afford to accept the offer on the table as it stands.²
Earlier this year health workers were offered a miserly 2.5% pay offer. The offer was cut even further because Government and employers said it had to be staged. An increase of just 1.5% was offered from April 2007, but the final settlement of 2.5% is only due to be paid from November 2007. This effectively reduced the annual pay offer to below 2%, yet living costs have risen at more than double that figure.
Health workers ire grew in England as they learned during the last few weeks that the 2.5% pay offer in Wales and Scotland would not be staged.
UNISON has scheduled a ballot of members for industrial action due to take place in September 2007.
UNISON is the UK¹s largest health union representing 460,000 health workers.
Talks are expected to begin early next week.
Monday 2 July 2007
WEEKLY PAID STAFF
THERE WILL BE A MEETING OF UNISON MEMBERS WHO ARE PAID WEEKLY.
DATE: 6th July 2007
TIME: 10.00 – 11.00
PLACE: back Dining room North Tyneside GeneralHospital
To discuss managements final offer on changing to monthly pay. See offer below:
Weekly to Monthly Pay: Final Offer
It is proposed by the Trust that all staff currently on weekly pay move to a monthly pay frequency from the beginning of November 2007.
Through consultation with staff the following points have been raised as particular issues in relation to making the change:
· Difficulties in having enough finance to cover the transition period between weekly to monthly pay
· Difficulties in adjusting to making a monthly salary last a month as opposed to a weeks pay lasting one week
· Concern from some staff about taking a salary advance from the Trust in that it would be difficult to pay it back over a period of time
· Lack of confidence currently in the payroll departments ability to handle wage and salary payment
· The desire to receive a payment in recognition that this is a change to existing terms and conditions.
· A reluctance to change payment frequencies
The Trust has carefully considered the issues raised and are prepared to make the following concessions to aid the transitional period.
A salary advance of up to three weeks salary to assist with the transition. This could be paid back (without interest) over a period of up to 6 months by a monthly deduction of 1/6th of the total amount advanced. This would apply to all substantive permanent appointments would not apply to Bank staff. Arrange for independent financial advice to be available to assist staff in budgeting over a period of a month.
Offer the facility to move to fortnightly pay for up to 3 months to assist in making the change. Those who opt to move to fortnightly pay in the transitional period would be able to take a salary advance of up to 1 weeks pay repayable over a period of 3 months via a monthly deduction of 1/3rd of the amount borrowed.
Make a one off salary payment of £100 to each employee (non refundable). This would be per employee and not per assignment.
Monthly salaries will be paid on the 28th of each month (or the last banking day prior to the 28th) with the exception of December where the payment will be on the last banking day prior to the 24th of the month.
In relation to concerns over the confidence in payroll it should be noted that some of the recent issues are in connection with the difficulties in running weekly and monthly payrolls from the same system. This severely reduces the amount of payroll processing time available. Making the move to all staff being paid monthly will greatly assist in this matter and will help make payments more accurate. In relation to other contributing factors, an action plan is in place to improve processing accuracy to an acceptable level.
DATE: 6th July 2007
TIME: 10.00 – 11.00
PLACE: back Dining room North Tyneside GeneralHospital
To discuss managements final offer on changing to monthly pay. See offer below:
Weekly to Monthly Pay: Final Offer
It is proposed by the Trust that all staff currently on weekly pay move to a monthly pay frequency from the beginning of November 2007.
Through consultation with staff the following points have been raised as particular issues in relation to making the change:
· Difficulties in having enough finance to cover the transition period between weekly to monthly pay
· Difficulties in adjusting to making a monthly salary last a month as opposed to a weeks pay lasting one week
· Concern from some staff about taking a salary advance from the Trust in that it would be difficult to pay it back over a period of time
· Lack of confidence currently in the payroll departments ability to handle wage and salary payment
· The desire to receive a payment in recognition that this is a change to existing terms and conditions.
· A reluctance to change payment frequencies
The Trust has carefully considered the issues raised and are prepared to make the following concessions to aid the transitional period.
A salary advance of up to three weeks salary to assist with the transition. This could be paid back (without interest) over a period of up to 6 months by a monthly deduction of 1/6th of the total amount advanced. This would apply to all substantive permanent appointments would not apply to Bank staff. Arrange for independent financial advice to be available to assist staff in budgeting over a period of a month.
Offer the facility to move to fortnightly pay for up to 3 months to assist in making the change. Those who opt to move to fortnightly pay in the transitional period would be able to take a salary advance of up to 1 weeks pay repayable over a period of 3 months via a monthly deduction of 1/3rd of the amount borrowed.
Make a one off salary payment of £100 to each employee (non refundable). This would be per employee and not per assignment.
Monthly salaries will be paid on the 28th of each month (or the last banking day prior to the 28th) with the exception of December where the payment will be on the last banking day prior to the 24th of the month.
In relation to concerns over the confidence in payroll it should be noted that some of the recent issues are in connection with the difficulties in running weekly and monthly payrolls from the same system. This severely reduces the amount of payroll processing time available. Making the move to all staff being paid monthly will greatly assist in this matter and will help make payments more accurate. In relation to other contributing factors, an action plan is in place to improve processing accuracy to an acceptable level.
Sunday 1 July 2007
2007 Pay
Members will be receiving a national ballot paper on this years pay offer. All members should read what this pay offer will mean to them before voting. Follow this link to see what the offer will mean to you http://www.gwenthealthcare.unionweb.co.uk/view/PageView.aspx?Page=1280
Welcome
Welcome to the new blog page of Northumbria Healthcare UNISON. We aim to update regularly to keep members informed of what is happening in the Trust and the NHS.
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