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Unions aim to close pay gap

Leaders of 225,000 hospital ancillary staff recently submitted a claim for a £15 a week, across-the-board increase. The four unions — COHSE, NUPE, GMB and TGWU — lodged a nine-point claim to boost the pay of the poorest paid workers in the NHS.

Wage rates for ancillaries range from £86.13 to £102.57 for a 39 hour week. The unions want to close the gap between the lowest paid and the lowest local government rate.

The unions’ full claim is for:

• a substantial flat rate increase to bring the lowest rate (£86.13) up to the lowest local government rate of £101.25;
• continuing review of the job evaluation system to achieve equal pay for work of equal value;
• consolidation of bonus into basic pay to benefit both bonus and non-bonus earners;
• a substantial increase in shift allowances;
• a reduction in working time, through a shorter working week, without loss of pay, and extra holidays;
• a change in the calculation of leave;
• increase in all allowances;
• improved on-call and standby duty payments;
• the introduction of meal allowances for standby staff.

The unions’ chief negotiator Bob Jones said: ‘Ancillaries such as cleaners, porters, laundry and catering workers, are the backbone of hospital life. They, as much as doctors and nurses, play a vital role in national emergencies as recent disasters have shown. But NHS ancillaries have seen their pay rates lag behind year after year.’