I’ve just delivered my speech to UNISON’s health members at their annual gathering in Brighton. I spoke about the immense pressures on NHS staff – caring for more patients, with fewer staff, in less time. But I also spoke about the support UNISON gives them to find their voice and help drive through the campaigns that matter most to them.
It’s always important for me to remind our members that UNISON is standing by them, backing them up and fighting their corner. That’s needed more than ever right now, because health workers are having to take time off for mental health issues and many are walking out completely for better paid and less stressful jobs at supermarkets down the road.
What has struck me most about this year’s health conference, is the number of contributions from tearful health workers, detailing the struggle they have with getting by day to day. Juggling caring responsibilities with tough jobs, on low pay, with little respite. To top it off, they’re facing abuse and sexual harassment at work, and they don’t feel safe enough to report it.
This is what neglecting our NHS looks like. It affects every part of the service and the workforce. After 14 years of Tory failure, it’s UNISON’s mission to defend the NHS from being driven into complete rack and ruin.
Every day, UNISON is fighting for our NHS and for the decent pay that staff deserve. Our re-banding campaigns continue across almost every region, and our agenda for change pay consultation is now live. The Tory government in Westminster has learnt no lessons from the past. The NHS pay increase is overdue again, and so is the Tories time to leave power.
During the general election campaign, I hope the public won’t be tricked by the Tories. They must be stopped from doing any more damage to our NHS. Staff working so hard to keep services going deserve so much better. Patients languishing on dangerous waiting lists expect better, and together we can all demand better.
The article Opinion: Every day, UNISON is fighting for our NHS first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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