OTnews May 2023 | Page 17

UNISON
It should never have come to this . The government has to invest long term in pay and workforce strategy across the public sector . This government has demonstrated that it ’ s not willing to invest in the NHS without a fight .”

UNISON

Being a BAOT member means you also belong to UNISON and can access support and advice on workplace issues at any time
• An increase raising the lowest pay point in the NHS to £ 11.45 an hour – 55p higher than the real Living Wage . While UNISON and BAOT have called for this to be implemented as soon as possible , employers say they expect that to apply the award in June , as it is too late for this month ’ s payroll .
Three months of strike action
The government ’ s position in July 2022 was clear – the NHS pay review body had made a recommendation of a £ 1,400 pay rise and that would be imposed . The question of NHS pay in England , Wales and Northern Ireland was closed .
Instead , over the year that followed , what we saw was a significant campaign of industrial action . Occupational therapy staff in UNISON and BAOT / RCOT joined nurses , physiotherapists , ambulance workers , dieticians ( to name but a few ) on picket lines up and down the country and demonstrated to the government that this position could not hold .
This was done under severe constraints , including draconian trade union laws that meant that only 17 NHS trusts secured a mandate for strike action in England through UNISON , despite more than 80,000 votes for strike action in the first round of balloting ( over 80 % of votes received ).
It should never have come to this . The government has to invest long term in pay and workforce strategy across the public sector . This government has demonstrated that it ’ s not willing to invest in the NHS without a fight .
That has to change and the more that vote and organise in the future , the better our public services will be .
What ’ s next
There is much more to fight for in the union , for occupational therapy staff and for colleagues , in the NHS and in the wider public sector , in England and across the UK .
And you and your colleagues can secure victories together , in the face of tough opposition , as we have on NHS pay in England . Occupational therapy staff in UNISON Northern Ireland for example are still in dispute alongside their HSC colleagues , as the lack of an executive is paralysing public sector pay .
Across the NHS , UNISON is mounting re-banding campaigns to make sure job evaluation works for NHS staff . Millions of pounds of backpay have already been secured by member-led campaigns for rebanding healthcare assistants and new materials are being developed to support other job groups , which will be discussed in later columns .
And as mentioned at the start of this article , and profiled last month , over the next few months UNISON will be balloting members , including some occupational therapy staff who work in local government and higher education .
We know industrial action works , so if you receive a ballot vote make sure to vote ‘ yes ’ and fight for better pay across the public sector .
Protecting you at work
Confused about the pay offer ? You can still use our pay calculator to illustrate what that means for you . Search ‘ UNISON NHS pay calculator ’.
For help and advice at work – or to find out more about UNISON services – please contact your local BAOT / UNISON branch at https :// branches . unison . org . uk / or go to www . unison . org . uk / get-help /.
If you need help at work 0800 0857 857 or www . unison . org . uk
It should never have come to this . The government has to invest long term in pay and workforce strategy across the public sector . This government has demonstrated that it ’ s not willing to invest in the NHS without a fight .”
May 2023 OTnews 17