Ambulance Bulletin NHS Pay Claim - 2018

Dated September 2017

GMB along with 14 other trade unions (the BMA chose to opt out at the last moment) in the National Health Service have written to Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, demanding that the Government fully fund a pay rise for NHS staff.

NHS pay is set by a Pay Review Body, which takes evidence from trade unions and employers, and makes recommendations, which the Government can ignore (which it has for Police Officers).

However, the Government has repeatedly told the PRB, it must take account of “affordability”, when making recommendations – thereby imposing a pay cap of 1% on the NHS.

This unprecedented move to put forward a pay claim in advance of the Government issuing its remit to the PRB, has been proposed by GMB in the past, but attracted little support from other trade unions.

The GMB Pay Pinch Campaign, launched before the election was announced exposed the losses that NHS staff have suffered under pay freezes and pay caps.

It had an impact on the general election, with the Labour Party and others endorsing GMB’s call for an end to the pay cap.

Opinion Polls carried out during the election and in the months after show that there is a huge level of support for the end of pay restraint, even among Conservative voters.

Since 2010, NHS employees will have had substantial amounts of money pinched out of pay packets, because of pay cuts and the 1% pay cap as the panel opposite shows.

The NHS pay claim

An increase equivalent to inflation (currently 3.9%)

A consolidated increase of £800 per annum

Full funding of the above by the Government

Full funding for a refresh of the current Agenda for Change pay structures

GMB research for its pay pinch campaign (www.gmb.org.uk/campaigns)

shows that since 2010,

Pay Pinch Loses

Ambulance Fleet Assistants have had a real terms cut in pay of £7285

Call handlers will have had a real terms cut in pay of £8646

Ambulance Technicians will have had a real terms cut in pay of £11482

Paramedics will have had a real terms cut in pay of £14572