Unite lead Officer for the Health Sector in Northern Ireland, Kevin McAdam today welcomed the resounding decision by members across the service in England to accept changes to their terms and conditions that will carry with it a minimum increase of 6.5% pay increase over the next 3 years.

In welcoming the deal Mr McAdam stated “this is a positive step for the service and modernises pay scales that are out of date and no longer sustainable within a modern Health Service. Key features of the deal will see low paid workers lifted out of the poverty trap that has them dependant on overtime and benefits to get buy, pay scales reduced from eight years to 2, 3 and 4 years for different groups and will provide a minimum of a 6.5 percent pay increase for staff and up to 29 percent for some low paid workers over a three year period.

“What we need now is to ensure that the share of the 4.2 billion cost will make its way to Northern Ireland and from Department of Finance through the department of Health to the Agenda for Change staff it was sent from Treasury for. It took us eleven months for us to get a one percent pay rise implemented last year. Our goal is to ensure neither the politicians or the civil servants block this deal being agreed and voted on by the membership in Northern Ireland. We will be engaging with employers and the department of Health on Monday to seek to progress this opportunity for health workers in Northern Ireland currently already the lowest paid workers across all four countries”, Mr McAdam said.

For further information and an interview contact Kevin McAdam, Regional Officer, tel. 07768 693941, or Donal O’Cofaigh, Unite Campaigns & Communications, tel. 07810 157926