Commenting on the 6.7% increase in real living wage rates – to £13.45 (and £14.80 in London) – announced today (Wednesday) by the Living Wage Foundation, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“This sets a clear benchmark for the rate of pay needed to keep workers out of poverty.
“Low-paid staff working for fair employers are the ones who’ll see the benefits of this rise. But for most workers in public services, it’s the government’s responsibility to make sure they’re on a decent rate.
“Workers can’t give their all for the public if they’re unable to meet the bills and feed their families. Thousands of NHS staff in particular will see their pay fall even further behind the real living wage rate.
“That risks the health service losing many of those on the lowest pay bands, such as porters and cleaners, to supermarkets and others willing to match the hourly rate.
“Ministers have to recognise this, ditch the discredited NHS pay review body system and work with unions to put it right.”
Notes to editors:
– The current minimum rate in the NHS in England is £12.51. This is short of both the previous real living wage rate (£12.60) and the new one taking effect today (Wednesday).
– A UNISON survey of NHS England staff found the vast majority (93%) said it was important to increase the lowest NHS pay rate increased to stay ahead of the real living wage each year. The figures are based on responses from more than 19,000 UNISON members.
– Last month, health unions urged the government to set aside the discredited pay review body process in favour of combined negotiations to agree a headline pay award and fix problems in the pay structure, including poverty pay at the lowest rates.
– Direct NHS pay negotiations have achieved rates above the real living wage. But UNISON says this progress has been lost through the pay review body system.
– 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
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
The article Real living wage increase leads way on poverty pay, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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