UNISON members taking part in new £2k pay campaign

MEMBERS of Unison in Omagh are to hold a number of promotional events during the coming weeks to promote a call for each NHS employee to receive an increase of at least £2000 by the end of this year.

Andy McKane, chairman of its Omagh and Fermanagh Branch, said the initiative would be aimed at recognising the huge efforts made by staff during the COVID-19 crisis. If implemented, the rise would be the equivalent of around £1 per hour.

“We feel that this campaign is important in highlighting the nationwide efforts of our NHS staff in the past six months in helping to treat and combat the coronavirus,” he said.

“Over the next few weeks our members in Omagh will be taking part in promotional activities online and with stalls in local hospitals and other healthcare facilities. We will be carrying this work out in line with all the social distancing and other regulations that are currently in place.

“At the moment many NHS staff are being paid hourly amounts that are just above the minimum wage. This is at a time when there are serious difficulties recruiting staff and we believe that paying more would help to address this issue.

“The simple fact is that if there was a decent wage for all NHS staff, then we believe that it would go some way towards helping to remedy the problems of filling the many vacant posts currently within the NHS.

“It is crucial that health staff are put on pay parity with other professions where entry is dependent on workers achieving a degree-level qualification. Only by doing this will we ensure that adequate numbers of staff are recruited and that they are retained for the long-term.”

Mr McKane said that, unlike previous Unison pay campaigns, there will be no picket lines or strikes as part of this one.

Staff in Omagh have already taken to social media to highlight the campaign, posting photographs of themselves with placards and posters promoting the initiative.

Unison has said that the campaign is ‘far and reasonable’ and is the least that the Government can do it show it values everyone working in the health service.