Further to the article posted on 3rd May Pay Update for Members I wish to update you on the pay discussions with the Department of Health and the Trusts and further to the NIPSA Health and Pay Sub Committee meeting on 6 June 2019 to discuss our strategy.
The pay discussions have formally started and the trade unions are now looking at a range of Pay Models. NIPSA's objective remains to achieve:
- The immediate uplift of Northern Ireland payscales for work of equal value across the National AFC payscales;
- Parity with the region with the largest pay differentials with Northern Ireland i.e. Scotland;
- A 2019-2020 in year cost of living wage rise above inflation, which begins to address the fact that for the last 8 years pay awards have been below the rate of inflation;
- Acknowledge the fact that low pay lies at the heart of the recruitment and retention crisis and commit to restoration/pay parity to address the problem.
It is NIPSA's assessment that these discussions have started off on a positive footing and talks with the Department of Health continue to take place. NIPSA remains committed to a negotiated settlement that will offer our members a fair and decent pay rise.
Members will have seen speculation and comments about an Industrial Ballot on this issue. Whilst NIPSA is committed to these discussions and we will consider any final offer that is made and consult with our members as appropriate, if the offer is unacceptable then we will, in consultation with the other unions, need to consider all options up to and including an Industrial Action Ballot.
In the meantime we would ask all members to ensure their correspondence address held by NIPSA is up to date and correct as this is important, should we need to correspond with members in the near future.
Going forward I will ensure that you are kept informed as the issues develop.