This week sees UNISON’s annual health service group conference meet in Liverpool.
Tanya Pretswell (pictured), chair of UNISON’s health service group, opened the conference this morning with an incisive speech that championed pay, campaigning and the importance of diversity.
Ms Pretswell described the last 14 years of Conservative government as full of “challenges and threats’” where “the Westminster government attempted to bring in regional pay, boosted privatisation and spent several years and millions of pounds dismantling NHS structures.
“It’s no surprise that public satisfaction with the NHS is now at an all-time low.” she said.
Pay
She spoke about the delays to NHS worker pay rises. “Our members don’t want another interminable wait until their next pay rise.
“We can never again have the shameful situation where government has to impose short term top-ups to avoid Agenda for Change falling foul of rises in the national minimum age.
“We will send a clear message to government: this union will not sit idly and wait.
“No one doubts the mess the last government made of the economy, and it will clearly take time to turn things around. But there are alternatives to cuts and there are alternatives to outsourcing.
“Take the recent demand for an NHS England that trusts should hive off their support services to subsidiary companies. This is nothing but a blatant tax dodge with the potential to lead to a major downgrade of terms and conditions.”
Campaigns
Ms Pretswell spoke about the union’s One Team campaign: “We know the value of all staff and what they bring to the NHS, and we will never stop shouting it from the rooftops.
“This is why we have set up UNISON’s Better NHS Bank campaign to speak up for bank workers, and this is why we will continue to push the government to ensure the Employment Rights Bill does what it needs to do for those on zero-hour contracts. In UNISON, we are proud to stand up for the whole work force.”
She also mentioned the union’s Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign and delegates applauded the phlebotomists on strike in Gloucestershire.
Ms Pretswell also spoke about the need to campaign on staffing numbers, referencing the union’s Only Enough is Enough report that shows the number of unsafely staged shifts in hospital is becoming more and more frequent.
Diversity
Ms Pretswell concluded her speech with a celebration of the union’s diversity.
“Our geographical reach and our great diversity only serves to make us stronger,” she said.
“Our hard-won advances on equality, diversity and inclusion are under threat. UNISON must be the champion for our members and all our communities, whether Black, disabled or LGBT+.”
Ms Pretswell concluded by saying that health conference is “our chance to come together and plan for the future, to show the outside world we are strong and united. This is how we organise, this is how we mobilise, this is how we win.”
The article Health: ‘This union will not sit idly and wait’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.
Comments are closed.