Commenting on the keynote speech given by health secretary Wes Streeting to UNISON’s annual health conference in Liverpool today (Wednesday), general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“It’s reassuring to hear the health secretary affirm his and Labour’s commitment to a revitalised NHS.
“Wes Streeting was frank and realistic about the difficulties ahead. Everyone knows it won’t be easy and will take time, but health workers can see he’s rolling up his sleeves. And importantly, Wes has made clear he’s willing to talk to unions.
“NHS staff were due a pay rise on 1 April. It was good to hear the health secretary shares the union’s concerns about delays caused by the pay review body process.
“But health workers need to know the government understands that employees are at the heart of the NHS and, most importantly, deserve to be paid fairly.
“The secretary of state’s repeated pledges to establish a national care service and a fair pay agreement for care workers will be welcomed by families struggling with a broken system, and staff who’re undervalued and often exploited.”
Notes to editors:
– Health secretary Wes Streeting spoke at UNISON’s annual health conference this morning at the ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street L3 4FP. Health workers from across the UK have been attending debates on a variety of motions including NHS pay, a greener NHS, bank staff, support for migrant workers, mental health, sexual safety, problems with NHS salary scales, and safe staffing.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
The article Government assurances on NHS are welcome, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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