Unison health conference ducks pay issue
The backdrop to the health sector conference, 8-10 April, of the public services union Unison, was an NHS increasingly in crisis. Staff shortages, unsafe staff levels, low pay, privatisation and the impact on people who work in health, dominated all of the debates. Conference celebrated and applauded all of those who had struck over this year. But a plan of detailed action over this year’s pay was missing. A pay consultation email was sent out to all health members in England the week before conference but union branches didn’t know it was happening, and so it wasn’t accompanied by any local...