East Midlands members writing to MPs over NHS pay

UNISON is escalating its campaign for the government to open talks on NHS pay in England.

UNISON East Midlands Time for Talks

The move comes after the government reneged on its promise to sit down with unions and employers and fix the problems of the current NHS pay structure.

Along with other NHS unions, UNISON has written to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting to set out its concerns.

The union is also lodging letters of objection with every NHS employer in England. Leanne Weatherley and Stuart Hallowes, the chair and vice chair of the regional health committee, have emailed relevant members in the East Midlands asking them to write to their MP to urge them to take action.

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “How can you keep staff in the health service without putting NHS pay right?

“Everyone wants to improve patient care, make the health service more efficient, bring down waiting times and end delays. But without the staff, the NHS won’t get the huge helping hand it needs.”

As part of last year’s pay award, Mr Streeting committed to discussions with unions and employers to find a solution to a pay structure that currently leaves too many staff under-banded and unrewarded, with the lowest paid dipping below the minimum wage every year.

But in December, those talks were delayed. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that it would need to limit the budget set aside for 2025/26 wage rises to 2.8%. And the department charged the NHS pay review body to decide the budget for modernising the pay structure – with the cost to be deducted from the 2025/26 salary pot.

UNISON immediately challenged this decision, but so far Mr Streeting has not changed his mind.

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