ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE
ENGLAND ONLY
There are only 10 days left to vote. Have you voted? Have your colleagues voted? Every vote is crucial!
Only by standing together and voting Yes to Action will the Government receive your message that enough is enough when it comes to Pay Cuts.
The work that GMB members across the NHS and Ambulance Services do, deserves true recognition and value. Warm words and clapping just don’t cut it.
Despite GMB members saying no to the 3% real terms pay cut, the Government ignore you and imposed it regardless. It is not good enough. You deserve to be listened to. When the average NHS worker has lost 15% in real terms over the last decade, you deserve to have that restored. You’ve more than earned it.
GMB members have had enough and that is why we are currently balloting for industrial action. GMB has served ballot notices to 218 NHS hospitals and ambulance trusts across England. GMB members are telling us they have lost faith in the Government and the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) to deliver fair pay and justice. GMB has become increasingly concerned about the independence of the PRB.
We entered into the PRB process in good faith this year, presenting all of the economic reasons as to why a significant increase in pay for NHS workers, would also benefit the economy. And yet, only 3% was recommended – far below what inflation stands at today.
GMB already knows that next year’s PRB process is running late. With the PRB not expected to make their recommendations until May 2022, it will be several months after the pay anniversary date of April 2022 when NHS workers will see their pay award. Despite this, NHS workers are set to see their take home earnings reduce even further with proposed National Insurance and Pensions Contributions increases, as well as continuing high inflation rates. Another Pay Cut for NHS workers. Most concerning of all, is that the lowest paid in the NHS will fall below the living wage – the absolute minimum a worker can be paid. How can it be right that some of our NHS workers will have to have supplements added to their pay so as to ensure employers don’t breach minimum wage laws?
GMB was the only union to say no to the last pay award and we have been proven right to have done so on several occasions since. We saw through what it was advertised to be. Several parts of that pay award were never implemented due to no additional money or will from NHS employers to reward workers fairly. The last pay award was supposed to deliver on recruitment and retention objectives and instead deteriorated our members terms and conditions in exchange for a below inflation pay rise.
We stand by our decision to say no then and we stand by our decision to say no now. But we need all GMB members to use their vote.
This ballot is a postal ballot only. Ballot papers should all have arrived by now. If you haven’t received it we can issue you a new one – but time is running out. To request a new one email your full name, postal address and employer to
NHS@gmb.org.uk
Make sure you vote and post back you ballot paper. Speak to your colleagues and make sure they have voted and posted too. If you have colleagues that are not in GMB – it’s not too late – they can join and have a vote too.
Non members can join online at www.gmb.org.uk/join and then email
NHS@gmb.org.uk
with your membership number and details to request a ballot paper.
This ballot closes at Noon on Wednesday 15th December 2021 so time really is running out.
Don’t delay – Vote today!
Posted: 5th December 2021