UK-wide deal offering 6.5% to NHS workers over three years is welcome news for healthcare workers who have seen real terms pay fall over last decade

Wednesday March 21st: Kevin McAdam, Unite Regional officer with responsibility for his union’s membership in the Health and Social Care sector welcomed the pay deal offered by the UK government but called for it to benefit all Northern Ireland healthcare workers:

“This is a belated recognition that healthcare workers’ pay has fallen substantially behind inflation over the past decade. In real terms most NHS staff have seen their pay fall by more than 15% since the 2008 recession.

“Today’s announcement breaks the longstanding and punitive one percent pay cap enforced by the Conservative party. Under the government’s proposals, healthcare workers will see their wages rise by 6.5% over the next three years through a positive change in pay and wider pay scale restructuring.

“It is vital that this pay improvement be passed on fully to healthcare workers in Northern Ireland to ensure that our rates of pay do not fall further behind those in the rest of the UK. The fact that workers here are currently paid less than their equivalents in England, Scotland and Wales is inducing workers to take up positions outside the region and is resulting in severe pressures on local healthcare services and provision.

“Today’s announcement represents an opportunity for the Health and Social Care Trust to address the challenge of pay inequality for Northern Ireland’s healthcare workforce. We need to see pay parity on the back of today’s announcement”, Mr McAdam said.