The largest health union in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is beginning to ballot its members for strike action.
In a pay dispute, Unison is asking 350,000 NHS employees, including porters, nurses, paramedics, and cleaners, to vote in favor of a strike.
A ballot of its 50,000 members in Scotland, which was already in progress, has been suspended in light of the new offer.
The English government has asked employees to consider the implications of a strike on patients.
It noted it had offered personnel a raise by the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body.
In England and Wales, the average raise for NHS staff was 4.75 percent, with additional compensation for the lowest-paid employees.
However, in Northern Ireland, nurses have not yet received the pay increase.
In Scotland, governments increased their first offer of 5% to a fixed rate of just over £2,200, which is worth more than 11% to the lowest paid, forcing Unison leaders to suspend a poll that was scheduled to expire on Monday.
The members will be consulted over the new offer.
Unison, together with thirteen other health unions, had requested an above-inflation wage increase for all employees.
The unions measure inflation using the Retail Price Index, which now stands at above 13%.
The health union Unison is not the only one taking action. The other main unions, including the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, GMB, and Unite, have begun or will soon begin balloting their members.
Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, stated, “Striking is the last thing committed health care employees to want to do.” However, with services in such a poor situation and employees having to provide for patients with fewer colleagues than ever before, many believe that the path has reached its conclusion.
“The NHS is losing skilled personnel at frightening rates. Healthcare employees are leaving for better-paying jobs that place less stress on them and their families.
If this situation persists, the health service will never be able to treat the millions of patients eagerly awaiting care.
Helga Pile, deputy head of health at Unison, stated that the wage award for health professionals outside of Scotland, including paramedics, porters, and nurses, was “far from enough.”
Outside of Scotland, healthcare workers have only compensated 72 pence per hour, which is insufficient when they cannot afford to pay their costs.
They are unable to afford food, so they go to work hungry and return to freezing homes after long shifts.
Things cannot continue as is
Emily Jones, a local Unison representative who works in administration for an NHS trust in the southwest of England, will be among those voting in favor of a strike.
She stated that she was struggling financially due to the doubling of her mortgage payments, and she is concerned about her upcoming heating expenditures.
Things cannot continue as they are. “No one will join the service if the salary is not acceptable,” she stated.
In addition to being in line with the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations, a Department of Health and Social Care in England spokesman stated that this year’s boost follows a 3% pay increase last year in acknowledgment of work during the epidemic, despite a public sector pay freeze.
She noted that the government appreciated the staff’s hard effort, but advised them to “seriously examine” the effect on patients.
Members of Unison are voting before the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) ballot closes the following week.
It is the first time the union has voted for a nationwide strike.
Emergency care will be safeguarded if any unions engage in strike action.
The voting deadline for Unison is November 25 in England and Wales and November 18 in Northern Ireland.
